Staff angry over unpaid UIF funds

Employee claims ‘unlawful, an intimidation tactic’, say lawyers

ANGRY SuperSpar Xavier employees are at loggerheads with management over the distribution of UIF-Covid19 funds.

The workers allege only two kitchen staff members have benefited from the government’s relief scheme, while others remain in the dark about when they will get paid.

The workers claim they have been subject to pay cuts since the beginning of the lockdown despite the grocery store being deemed an essential service.

The employees also revealed they were not registered on the UIF database, although their payslips indicated a R42.91 UIF contribution fee each month.

An employee who spoke anonymously said: “We have been working throughout this lockdown, our salaries are reduced, we have been told that we will receive the Covid-19 payouts to boost us but we have not been registered with the scheme,” he said.

“During lockdown, fast food outlets and kitchens inside grocery stores were ordered to be closed so only two of our members from that department went on lockdown and they were paid R1350 each with management claiming its UIF money. The other staff members were moved to different departments inside the store and they took pay cuts.”

Another staff member said failure to provide for his dependants has caused him absolute distress.

Contacted for comment, SuperSpar

Xavier owner Sandeep Desai vehemently stated that he is not obliged to speak to the media, and instructed his attorneys to send a response on his behalf.

In a letter sent to The Star, Stupel and Berman Inc said: “At the outset, we advise that the allegations and claims allegedly presented to you are completely false and malicious.

“We record our client has always fulfilled its obligations in terms of labour practice and legislation. We assert that should the unnamed employees have any complaints regarding our client, it is open to them to raise such issues with the Department of Labour, UIF and even SAPS and not make spurious claims to the media.”

According to the letter, the Department

of Labour has furnished two clean audits to their client regarding its legal obligations as an employer, with the last audit completed in June.

The law firm went on to describe the employees’ claims and an unlawful intimidation tactic.

The letter further states that the client’s rights are reserved against the publication.

Also communicated in the letter was a directive ordering the publication to refrain from engaging with the owner.

“Furthermore we hereby demand that you have no further engagement with our client as our client does not deal with employee relations through the media, but rather through constructive employee relations and the relevant authorised institutions,” the letter reads.

UIF spokesperson Makhosonke Buthelezi said they had noted a number of employers had failed to register their employees with the scheme.

“Non-registration of employees with the UIF has been one of our challenges in distributing these funds to employees.

“We did communicate in previous months that employers can still register their employees,” he said.

Labour Department advocate Michael Msizi said some employers had declared a limited number of workers with UIF to save costs.

“Should inspectors find any wrongdoing the employer will be required to declare all workers and pay for them according to their period in the company. There is an interest and a penalty fee to be added,” he said.