82 employers arraigned over unremitted NSSF contributions

MWANZA: A TOTAL of 82 employers were taken to court by the National Social Security Fund for Public Servants (NSSF) for failing to remit employees’ contributions on time, as required by law.

This was revealed by Mwanza Regional Commissioner (RC), Mr Said Mtanda, during the regional commemoration of International Workers’ Day held in Misungwi District, over the weekend.

Mr Mtanda said the prosecuted employers in Mwanza Region owed a total of 3.8bn/- , which has since been settled after 54 cases were concluded in court, while 28 cases remain pending.

He explained that the legal action was part of a regional operation aimed at identifying employers who fail to submit employees’ contributions to social security funds within the stipulated timeframe.

Through the operation, a total of 921.1m/- was collected, with the RC emphasising that the task force will continue targeting non-compliant employers, including council directors in the region.

“Directors who fail to submit employees’ contributions will be arrested because no one is above the law. There are also institutions under your councils that are still not complying with the law,” he said.

He urged the directors to comply, noting that such contributions are a fundamental entitlement for workers upon retirement.

“If contributions are not submitted, retirees face serious challenges. Recently, we visited Kwimba District, where we met an 82-year-old woman who has not been verified and has not received her pension for over 10 years,” he said.

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Mr Mtanda added that the situation occurred despite the presence of responsible officers expected to ensure timely submission of contributions.

“She could have been verified and continued receiving her pension. Let us therefore develop a sense of responsibility and fulfil our duties without supervision,” he said.

Speaking at the same event, Nyamagana District School Quality Assurer, Mrs Lucy Nyanda, urged parents to support school feeding programmes for day scholars in both primary and secondary schools across Mwanza Region.

“Our students are studying while hungry. During this Workers’ Day period, parents should make an effort to contribute food for students at school,” she said, adding that households should allocate part of their lunch budgets to support school feeding initiatives.

For his part, NSSF officer in Mwanza Region, Mr Egbert Ngowo, called on workers to uphold punctuality and adhere to workplace guidelines and assigned duties.

“For those of us serving members, we must ensure that each member is fully attended to, including timely collection of contributions, so that they leave satisfied with the services provided,” he said.