Parliament, Wednesday, 22 July 2020 – The Portfolio Committee on Employment and Labour has welcomed the extension of the UIF Temporary Employee Relief Scheme.
The Chairperson of the committee, Ms Lindelwa Dunjwa, said the window period will benefit more employees and employers. She said employers and employees should make use of it in order to access the benefits that the government has availed throughout this lockdown period.
The extension will mainly apply to businesses that have been completely shut down since March 2020. The window period extension is until mid-August 2020, and all indications are that, a significant number of South Africans will either lose their employment or be forced to shut down their business operations.
Given this challenge, the committee is satisfied with the extension period and the work the UIF is doing despite the challenges in the system which are attended to by the entity. Ms Dunjwa encouraged the entity to continue to review and enhance the control measures in the application processes to ensure that funds reach their intended recipients.
Furthermore, Ms Dunjwa indicated that UIF will provide feedback to the committee on the cases where an employer under-paid or did not pay employees. Ms Dunjwa wished Minister Thulas Nxesi and the departmental staff members who have tested positive for COVID-19 speedy recovery.
Ms Dunjwa said the impact of the cases on the Department of Employment and Labour is concerning especially in instances where it has led to closure of services to the people.
ISSUED BY THE PARLIAMENTARY COMMUNICATION SERVICES ON BEHALF OF THE CHAIRPERSON OF THE PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE ON EMPLOYMENT AND LBOUR, MS LINDELWA DUNJWA.
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