Numsa is prepared for another protest on Wednesday.
As a result of the delay in UIF payments, the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa) has planned to picket at the UIF provincial offices on Wednesday.
The union stated that the protest is prompted by many queries raised with the Employment and Labour Department linked to the non-payment of the Temporary Employee/Employer Relief Scheme which is administered by the UIF.
Numsa spokesperson Phakamile Hlubi-Majola said:
“Our demands are simple: workers want to be paid what is due to them. This is not a loan, this money belongs to workers and must be paid immediately.”
“It’s a well-known fact that UIF Commissioner Teboho Maruping has been placed on precautionary suspension following the Auditor-General’s report on the COVID-19 relief benefit scheme for workers.”
She explained that the Auditor-General realized that there were traces of corruption in the relief funds.
“This follows a number of suspensions that have also taken place within the UIF administration which has caused huge delays in the processing of workers’ claims.”
“We’ve always blamed employers for not paying employees their TERS money because we were told by the UIF that employers were to blame and were failing to submit all the documents.”
The union made it known that the protest will start at 11 this morning at the Department of Labour in Cape Town.
