Employees who are registered with the Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) are eligible to claim for some of their benefits, as long as they have been paying contributions.
One of these benefits includes unemployment benefits which are strictly for persons that have been dismissed, retrenched, or if their employment contract has expired.
According to the Fund, individuals that have voluntarily resigned from their job will not be eligible to claim for the benefit.
How Can Unemployed Workers Can Apply For UIF Benefits:
Once a person has been dismissed, retrenched, or if their employment contract has expired, they are allowed to visit their nearest labour centre in person.
But they need to make sure that they are registered as work-seekers and take the necessary documents with them.
Alternatively, they may register and claim their UIF unemployment by using the Fund’s official website.
At the Labour Centre, they will be asked to sign the unemployment register, they will then be told to come back and sign the register again.
It is mandatory for unemployed workers to sign every four weeks to show that they still need to claim their UIF benefits.
“If everything is in order, you should start getting money from the fund within eight weeks of registering,” indicated the Department of Labour.
These monies will be paid up every four weeks until the funds in the unemployment benefit are used up.
But if you have not received your funds in eight weeks after claiming your benefit, you should contact the Labour Centre and find out why there is a delay.
Prior to making this phone call, it is important that you always have your full name and ID number ready.
To claim unemployment benefits you need to have:
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A copy of 13-digit bar-coded identity document.
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A copy of your last six payslips.
- Information supplied by your employer (UI-19).
- A service certificate from the employer.
- Proof of registration as a work seeker.
- A fully completed registration form.
If you want to receive unemployment benefits, you need to be prepared to go for career counseling if the UIF officer asks you to, be available for work, and go to different companies to ask for work.
