Labour investigating claims of unpaid TERS benefits

Employment and Labour Minister Thulas Nxesi says his department is looking into the non-payment of relief funds by employers to their employees.

Nxesi said this when Ministers in the economic cluster appeared before the National Assembly to field oral questions.

Addressing the house via a virtual link, Nxesi said around 700 000 beneficiaries have indicated that they have not been paid by their employers, who submitted claims on their behalf.

“…We are following up on employers who have not paid. We have made an undertaking that no matter how long it takes, if people are owed their monies, they will have to be paid after we have done proper investigations, and we have satisfied ourselves of the proper documentation, because it is equally dangerous to simply pay if the documentation is not proper,” Nxesi said.

Nxesi had been asked how his department was dealing with the challenges of employers, who have received the Temporary Employer-Employee Relief Scheme (TERS) benefits, but have not passed on the money to their employees.

The Minister was also asked what further steps would be taken to hold those involved in alleged corruption accountable for placing the livelihood of employees at risk.

To date, some R34 billion in benefits has been distributed through employers in 7.4 million payments to recipients, in line with a commitment to provide income support for three months.

During the same period, a further R4 billion was disbursed in normal UIF benefits in 677 000 payments to beneficiaries.

Addressing the house on Wednesday, Nxesi said the non-payment of TERS benefits was being followed up.

Nxesi said in some instance, employers received the money but have not handed it over to employees.

In other instances, employees are foreign nationals, whose documentation is not sorted out because of their identification.

“We are trying to work with employers collaboratively, to deal with those issues,” the Minister said.