UIF urges employers to pay contributions and declare their workers

The Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) has urged employers to pay contributions and declare their workers every month, as required by law, to avoid delays with benefit applications and payments.

Speaking at an employer advocacy session in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, UIF Provincial Support Director, Allan Ragavaloo, said the majority of normal benefit payments including the special Covid-19 TERS were delayed due to a lack of up-to-date declarations by employers.

“If employers are 100% compliant with the Fund’s legislation, as well as paying contributions and declaring their workers monthly, we would not experience significant delays with paying claims. The majority of the Covid-19 TERS payments were delayed due to the abundant lack of declarations by employers. If all employers had declared their workers to the UIF prior to the Covid-19 lockdowns, we would not have experienced delays with Covid-19 TERS payments,” said Ragavaloo.

He also explained in detail the error codes that impede Covid-19 TERS payments such as incorrect identity and passport numbers, failed bank verifications, no declarations and salary discrepancies.

“I am encouraging employers to log into the Covid-19 TERS portal on uifecc.labour.gov.za/covid19(link sends e-mail) and if you have any errors, please look at the solutions on the system and rectify the errors so we can process and pay the claim,” said Ragavaloo.

He also stressed that employers who were aggrieved about their claims being rejected are entitled to follow the Fund’s appeal process.

The UIF’s Acting ICT Director, Viwe Gqoli, said the Fund had a responsibility to pay all valid Covid-19 TERS claims that are currently on the system, however, the onus is on the employers to correct the errors because the Fund is not permitted to implement corrections on their behalf.

“The UIF is really trying to close the Covid-19 TERS system and we really advise employers to finalise their claims. Currently, we do not have a backlog on new Covid-19 TERS applications in the system. Instead, we regularly re-run claims that are already in the system hoping that errors have been corrected, but we receive the same outcome of errors. Therefore, we suggest that you correct them before we close the system,” said Gqoli.

He also divulged that the UIF had disbursed R9,2 billion through Covid-19 TERS and R15 million for Workers Affected By Unrest (WABU) in KwaZulu-Natal respectively, bringing relief to thousands of workers affected by Covid-19 lockdowns and the July 2021 unrest.

Addressing the issue of fraud, Deputy Director: Fraud, Sibongiseni Mpanza, stressed that employers must always safeguard their uFiling log-in details. “Giving your uFiling credentials to third parties or other people is similar to people having your bank card and pin because they may commit fraud which could lead to your company being blacklisted by National Treasury,” said Mpanza.

The next employer session will be held on Thursday 28 July 2022 at the Ascot Wedding and Conference Venue at 210 Woodhouse Road in Scottsville, Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal, from 09:00.

Source: Government of South Africa