Govt Mulls Scheme To Benefit Laid-off Workers

The government is setting up a National Unemployment Benefit Scheme, a fund which will benefit workers who are temporarily out of employment, a cabinet minister has said.

Speaking to The Sunday Mail, Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare Minister Professor Paul Mavima revealed that the fund will be supported by the workers themselves, employers and Government. He said:

The idea is to have a fund that is supported by the workers themselves, employers and Government to support workers who are temporarily out of employment.

… We want to create a savings scheme where we all make contributions so that during tough times people who lose their jobs can find relief. We do not want people to be forced into a situation where they spend the little savings they have made.

As you know, these things require legislation and this takes a bit of time. But we have already started drafting a blueprint and we expect the legislation to be tabled in Parliament during the next session.

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National Social Security Authority (NSSA) acting general manager Arthur Manase confirmed that the government recently tasked them with crafting a concept paper to assess the feasibility of setting up the scheme.

Currently, Government offers workers two mandatory social security schemes under NSSA.

Firstly, the National Pension Scheme (NPS), which supports retirees above the age of 60; and secondly, the Workers Compensation Insurance Fund (WCIF) for workers injured or killed in work-related accidents or suffer from work-related diseases.

More: The Sunday Mail