Recently, the Department of Employment and Labour urged employers to inform Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) officials about possible retrenchments in advance, to enable proper planning.
In a statement, the department’s Director Beneficiary Services Vuledzani Mulindi said:
Individuals that have been retrenched have been advised to work together with their former employees in case of outstanding documents, so that their benefits may be released.
According to Mulindi, there’s an influx of seasonal farm workers who got retrenched from farms and therefore need their Unemployment Insurance Fund benefits.
An outreach service is currently underway at the Groblersdal Labour Centre, as the department embarked on this initiative as of 8 February 2023.
Clients have been encouraged to bring their smartphones to the venue, so they can be assisted with online applications.
At least 12 Rapid Response Teams have been deployed from the Polokwane Provincial Office to help with capturing applications and this is to ensure that services reach as many clients as possible.
“It remains crucial for employers to declare employees for UIF so that their claims are processed with ease. We are committed to serving our clients with dignity,” Mulindi said.
The applications that have been submitted by the department’s clients are currently being captured, processed and approved on the spot.
However, the department has appealed to its clients to remain calm as their applications are being captured and the department has also committed to continue with its services until a large number of clients have been serviced regarding their retrenchment enquiries.
Employers who are having a hard time retrenching workers, may want to look at the alternatives that they might want to explore prior to them taking the final decision to start the retrenchment process.
