On the 16th of July 2021 the Minister of Employment and Labour, Thulas Nxesi, made it possible for the Unemployment Insurance Fund(UIF) to implement a third extension of the TERS benefits.
It is important to note that the applications will open from 19 July 2021 and payments will commence from the 26th of July 2021.
Further note that these payments will be made DIRECTLY into the accounts of the Employees and not the Employer’s account as it has previously been done. In certain cases, on discretion and on good cause shown, the UI Commissioner or delegated official can permit payments to the Employer’s account.
The third phase of the TERS Benefits will bring relief for the following categories of workers:
- Workers who have not been able to work from 16 March 2021 due to restrictions preventing gatherings of a certain number of people, implemented on Level 1, 2 and 3.
- Workers who have been impacted and are being impacted by the Level 4 restrictions imposed on the 28th of June 2021.
- Vulnerable workers who were unable to work during these periods due to employers who were unable to make alternative arrangements as well as those who were quarantined and isolated.
The application for these Benefits should be done by the Employer.
In the cases where Employers were unable to make alternative arrangements it should be noted that they will need to include the following to their applications:
- Each employee’s vulnerability status,
- Details of the screening process,
- Details of employees who have tested positive,
- Details of employees who are identified as high risk contacts
- Details on the post-infection outcomes, including a return to work assessment
This Direction will commence on 16 March 2021 and will endure until 25 July 2021.
The Minister of Employment and Labour’s statement on 16 July 2021 has been fully verified and gazetted on the 20th of July 2021.
For more information and to read the gazette published click here
Written by Nicole Waldick