LEGALLY SPEAKING – UIF problems remain overlooked - And administration of UIF is shocking
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GUEST - Michael Bagraim, Labour Law Expert
The administration of the Unemployment Insurance Fund is shocking. That’s according to labour lawyer Michael Bagraim. He says hundreds of individuals are still waiting for their UIF claims to be processed, some of which stretch all the way back to the COVID-19 period. Getting through to the Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) is “like banging your head against a brick wall”.
This is how one frustrated claimant who applied for benefits over a year ago with no luck feels. At a meeting of the parliamentary portfolio committee on employment & labour on March 30 I was astonished to hear a glowing report from the Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) commissioner about how well the fund has done. I tried to explain to the commissioner and employment & labour minister that I receive dozens of complaints every day about the fund’s inability to administer properly the thousands of claims it receives. I described the report as lies, damn lies and statistics.
The administration of the Unemployment Insurance Fund is shocking. That’s according to labour lawyer Michael Bagraim. He says hundreds of individuals are still waiting for their UIF claims to be processed, some of which stretch all the way back to the COVID-19 period. Getting through to the Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) is “like banging your head against a brick wall”.
This is how one frustrated claimant who applied for benefits over a year ago with no luck feels. At a meeting of the parliamentary portfolio committee on employment & labour on March 30 I was astonished to hear a glowing report from the Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) commissioner about how well the fund has done. I tried to explain to the commissioner and employment & labour minister that I receive dozens of complaints every day about the fund’s inability to administer properly the thousands of claims it receives. I described the report as lies, damn lies and statistics.