Author: SYLIVESTER DOMASA
AfricaPress-Tanzania: THE Workers Compensation Fund (WCF) is considering to drag to court employers who have failed to comply with the Workers’ Compensation Act of 2008 that require companies to register and pay contributions for their employees.
The Compensation Act No 20 and its amendments were established to provide compensation for employees injured or incapacitated at the workplace.
While private-sector employers are required to contribute 1 per cent of the employee’s gross monthly income, public sector employers are subject to contributing 0.5 per cent of their staff’s monthly salary.
But speaking during an editor’s retreat and annual general meeting organized by the Tanzania Editors’ Forum in Dodoma, Paskali Richard, WCF Principal Compliance Officer, said at least 3,858 employers have not met the legislation requirement.
A total of 22,515 employers have registered their employees and are making a contribution to the fund in accordance with the law.
“We have been reminding these companies through mobile phone calls, messaging and even emails,” he said.
According to the officer, the organization has dragged 20 employers to court for failing to abide by the State laws.
Mr Richard noted that due to geographical reasons and advancement in technologies, WCF has adopted an online portal to help speed up the process.
He elaborated that the portal which was launched earlier this month helps employers to update all necessary information of its employees, edit, add or reduce members as well as making the requisite payments.
“We are adopting an online portal to allow employers to register, make contributions and report accidents. The benefit of the system allows WCF customers to log-in, manage pay-rolls, add or reduce the number of employees as well as remotely access the company’s information statements,” he said, adding: “This means anyone from anywhere around the world can easily access the system and make the necessary registrations,” he added.
Official records indicate that the fund received 777 compensation claims in the 2016/17 financial year.
In 2017/18 and 2018/19, the fund received 1,643 and 2,101 claims involving occupational injuries, diseases and deaths.
The fund has thus released over 19.07bn/- in compensation to employees. However, it noted that some employees had been involved in fraudulent activities, hoping to benefit from the fewer contributors.
Editors Kiondo Mshana, Allan Lawa and Peter Nyanje expressed concern over how the fund attended to complaints involving an employee who goes into a coma for over 12 months and failing to report the incident.
They also asked how the fund could resolve matters in which a reporter or editor is involved in an accident at midnight.
In response, the officer said that the law was clear that only an incident reported within 12 months is entitled to compensation and an employer is subject to provide justification that confirms the employee left the office at late hours for the compensation process to begin.
