To
Portfolio Committee on Labour
From
Yogesh Rajbunsi
Subject
UIF BENEFITS (horrible experiences)
Date
13 July 2020 1:37 p.m.
Dear Portfolio Committee on Labour,

I would like to inform you of a very concerning fact that is happening in reference to UIF payments or any such queries related to the labour department. My concern however is the uif benefit.

In this pandemic with COVID 19 I noticed nothing has been done for us citizens with regards to our well being and I will explain further .

We are in the 20th century and I cannot understand why we cannot use technology meaning online services ?
- Firstly you have a website to apply for your UIF online , which does not work ? Okay so it does not work , what is the IT department doing about it ?
- I had to physically go to the department just to submit forms , which could of been done online.
- I had to risk getting the infection because our country is more worried about alcohol and cigarettes yet everyday day the labour department is crowded , now if one person has the virus imagine how quickly that will pass.
- I waited in the HOT sun outside, some order of social distancing was trying to be done but really no one was following the procedures, the numbers are too great.
- You have a Security Guard outside who assists us ? this same security made me wait 2 hours in the line just to receive the bank form , yet at the beginning I asked him to get a few forms from inside and hand it over to those who need it so we can go off to the bank. He insisted I wait in the line ? As I got in 2 hours later the guy handing out the form asked why did you guys not just come in for the form instead of waiting , I replied that the guard even with me informing him about the same thing still made us wait in the line JUST TO RECEIVE A FORM ??
Why is there no labour department employee outside helping us citizens and getting the line moving asap.
- So I go to the bank to get the form filled in , I come back to the labour department and guess what I have a huge line to wait in again? Now remember I already stood in this line for my application but that was only used to receive the bank form? This could of all been avoided if there was a labour departement employee outside helping with the citizens in the line.
- Back in the line I go , Seeing elderly people wait in the blistering sun is not a good sign , I asked myself what if it was raining or storming now imagine how much worse this can get yet our country has technology to use , but are too LAZY to implement .
- I waited in the line for about under 2 hours just to go inside again , once you inside then begins another line at this point I'm wondering about those who are diabetic and have other underlying conditions , how are they to manage this line which can easily be avoided if Government do their work based on citizens concerns and not their own.
- Okay so i waited another 2 hours to get to the consultant , remember at 3:30pm the doors close and outside the line is still long.
- He informed us that they are offline ?(common english term used for SA government officials.)
- Anyway thank goodness he accepted our documents manually.
- Was told to come back 1 month later , follow the same procedure just to see if my uif benefit is approved? makes no sense yet we could be smsd or emailed the approval.
- So that was my day , so now I am going to suggest a few things based especially around covid19

1 . Get your IT guys to fix the online services . Ensure all citizens who have the means of applying online do so.This is going to reduce the number of people at the labour department a lot.Thus reducing the risk of more people getting infected especially the elders.
For those who do not have the means of applying online , It should be the responsibility of the ex employer to do so.If however this is still not possible then the person must call in and an appointment to come to the labour department .Get appointments filled for every hour , example 50 appointments per hour, so if I call in the consultant will say you need to be here at 10am as your appointment is from 10 - 11 am,This will ensure that the department will run smoothly for the day as they must only take in a certain amount of citizens for the day.This will avoid people waiting in lines for so long and less risk of infections.

2. Please get an employee and not a security guard to assist people who are standing outside in the lines , get them to ask the people what are they here for and direct them to the correct line, that's another thing , everyone stands in mixed lines? why ?

3. I saw no sanitizers inside the building, we where screened at the entrance and sanitized our hands but also remember we sit and move from chair to chair for about 2 hours again, we are bound to touch the chairs etc.Have sanitizer dispenser hoisted to the walls at certain spots.

4. Try and implement a Appointment only service .This will help everyone.And reduce the numbers at the department on a daily basis. As mentioned in point 1

5. Can someone answer your calls (I do not want to hear ''oh through covid 19 we are short staffed" that is utter nonsense , I seen employees having good old discussions , walking around like nothing in the world is wrong. I saw one employee trying to help get us done quickly but other walking around talking stories instead if all teaming up especially when the systems are down it will move much quicker. Seen 2 guys in the office eating at almost 3:30pm and having a good discussion while we are only being seen by 1 consultant?This is Ridiculous.Sort your staff out .
Objective especially in this pandemic is to get the people sorted quick and let them go home.

6.Why do Govt employees think they are gold ? please inform them that working for our country which means you need to be approachable and not give attitude or ignore you because you ask a question.Please get the staff to be more humble.
Another important fact is , this is not their money as they make it seem.This is a fund I paid towards so I am entitled for my Money not theirs.

7. In this pandemic why is it so necessary to ask people to come back again on certain dates? We in a pandemic and yet the government cannot think of easier plans to reduce the flow of people at the offices , again if I am approved then I must still come a further few months to sign?
Why cant a signing be done online ? Why is government not using technology?
If you think Fraud is the reason why ?then Question yourself as to why procedures are not put in place to combat fraud if its done online. Fraud is happening daily for millions/billions and yet you worried about a R2000 which might be defrauded as a person might take an extra pay or lie that he is still unemployed when he is in fact now employed?

It is so difficult to watch Pr Ramaphosa talk about social distancing and gathering unnecessary yet his very own departments take no responsibility in finding ways to reduce the numbers at the govt departments.
Remember many people lost their jobs, there are now new benefits for covid .
This all has increased the numbers at the uif offices by a huge number .
Why was the government not pro active on this ?

Anyway I hope this gets into good hands and at least gives me feedback.

The department in Question above is the Pietermaritzburg Labour Department .
But I am sure this is happening at all departments across the country.

Thank You
Y.R