The South African Payroll Association (SAPA) says it has received several complaints from employees whose salaries have been cut, but their employers have not attempted to claim from the Department of Labour\u2019s Temporary Employee\/Employer Relief Scheme (TERS).<\/p>\n
Arlene Leggat, president of the SAPA, said that many employers believe they won\u2019t receive funds from the TERS, but this isn\u2019t true.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is a lot of negativity about the TERS and the government\u2019s ability to process payments. The payment system initially had its hiccups, but the reality now is that TERS benefits are being paid out but employers are being too stubborn to apply for the benefits on their staff\u2019s behalf.”<\/p>\n
“If your company has had to reduce employees\u2019 hours, cut salaries, or both, it is your responsibility to start the application process so that your employees don\u2019t have a reduced salary during these uncertain times,” said Leggat.<\/p>\n
If you are working for a company that isn\u2019t prepared to claim from the TERS, then you need to notify the Department of Labour so that they can follow up on this, she said.<\/p>\n
The TERS is a financial support measure that the government has put in place to support workers and employers during the Covid-19 lockdown.<\/p>\n
An employee\u2019s daily income, as well as the income replacement rate, needs to be calculated according to the requirements on the website<\/a>.<\/p>\n Salaries that are taken into account for TERS benefits are capped at R17,712 per month per employee.<\/p>\n The income replacement rate sliding scale from 38% to 60% then determines the benefit the employee will receive.<\/p>\n The UIF has paid out over R11 billion since 16 April, it said on Monday (11 May). This includes benefits to more than 2 million workers and over 161,000 companies that launched claims on their behalf, it said<\/p>\n Who can claim? While much has been written about the government only providing financial support to BB-EEE, Leggat said this is not the case for TERS benefits.<\/p>\n \u201cAll companies who are registered and pay UIF can claim. If your company\u2019s TERS claim has been rejected and you don\u2019t know why, please contact UIF through their available channels.<\/p>\n “It is challenging at the moment as calls are not always answered. The other option is to check your file and resubmit,” said Leggat.<\/p>\n How to claim Leggat stressed that companies must apply for the TERS benefits and receive money as a lump sum, which they then have to distribute to their employees.<\/p>\n To initiate the process, employers must send an email to covid19ters@labour.gov.za<\/a>, which will trigger an automated reply that will outline the steps and details.<\/p>\n Then, applications are made on this website: www.uifecc.labour.gov.za\/ Leggat pointed out that when the system initially launched in April, there were many issues, but these problems have for the most – been ironed out.<\/p>\n
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