Companies dodging pension payments

AFTER receiving several complaints about contributions not being paid on behalf of members to pension funds, the Pension Funds Adjudicator has cracked the whip on companies.

In a recent matter a complainant submitted that Afripoint Contracting Solutions had failed to timeously register him as a member of the Transport Sector Retirement Fund (TSRF).

The complainant was employed by the company from September 2015 to January 2017, and the company had deducted provident fund contributions from his salary every month, the office of the Pension Funds Adjudicator said.

Following the complainant’s termination of service, a withdrawal benefit became due to him, but was not paid.

A respondent in the matter, the Salt Employee Benefits, filed a response that the complainant had been registered as a member in May 2016. It stated that it last received contributions in January 2017.

Salt made the complainants contributions schedule available indicating that contributions were paid between May 2016 to January 2017.

In a determination, the adjudicator said the company had a duty to pay contributions and submit schedules to employees. “By not providing members with their benefit statements, members are denied the opportunity to see if contributions are being paid or not,” the adjudicator found.

The Transport Sector Retirement Fund was ordered to pay the complainant the fund credit.

In another matter, Tactpro Protection Services was alleged to have failed to timeously register a participating employer. The complainant was employed as a security officer from February 20, 2016, to November 3, 2017.

Following his exit from service, the complainant became entitled to a withdrawal benefit from the first respondent, the office of the adjudicator found.

However, he had not been paid any benefit.

The company was ordered to pay the complainant.

The company had a duty to submit schedules to employees Pension Funds Adjudicator