An amount of R211 million was paid directly into people's bank accounts this week.
Department of Employment and Labour Minister Thulas Nxesi announced this week that the Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) had started paying workers directly to their bank accounts and not through employers only.
This improvement was made after complaints were received that some employers were not playing UIF benefits to employments. It also reflects the Department's responsiveness to suggestions emanating from key stakeholders.
“While the claim is submitted by the employer who would have all the information that is pertinent to make the payments, the actual payment goes straight to the account of the worker thus eliminating further waiting period,” said the Minister in a statement, adding that R211 million was paid directly into to 45, 547 employees this week.
“It means that we are fine-tuning our systems and improving on our response times with regard to payments. Already, we are at the stage where, if the application is complete, accurate and valid, at best the department will process payment within 24 hours and worst, in 48 hours. We are working hard to ensure that our systems respond to and accommodate the needs of our prime stakeholders – the workers," he said.
