Heavy fines for employers not paying social security- Donald deCastro
“I don’t know what the law says but it is time that something be done about these people that do not pay in their social security. It is no fun that you know you are working day in day out, week in week out, year in year out and something shall happen to you and you go to social security and there is no payments for you for 13 months or 12 months or 24 months and the employer is taking the money and the social security is not doing anything to collect it,” deCastro said on his radio programme ‘Straight Talk’, which was aired last evening February 14, 2012.
According to the outspoken deCastro, “Social Security is good at getting behind the small man and using scare tactics but with the big man with the big money there is always that reluctance to prosecute”.
He, however, said that employees have a right to make regular checks with Social Security to find out if payments are being made and that Social Security should take serious action to penalise those employers that are not paying the system.
Meanwhile, employees were recently advised by Minister for Natural Resources and Labour Hon. Kedrick Pickering to hold on to their pay stubs as “evidence” when applying for Social Security benefits, just in case their employers fail to pay Social Security. “It is important for everyone to understand, that if you work and you have proof that monies were deducted from your salary for Social Security, when you are entitled to benefits then Social Security will pay you,” Hon. Pickering had stated at a labour meeting at the Catholic Community Centre, Virgin Gorda on February 8, 2012. He was at the time responding to a complaint made by a resident who bemoaned that some employers were guilty of deducting but not forking up the money for Social Security.The Labour Minister had explained that there is an appeals’ tribunal within Social Security to tackle complaints made by employers and employees, and if the matter is very complex the Labour Department will intervene.
Social Security is a compulsory insurance plan which employers, employees, self-employed and voluntary contributors contribute. Social Security is designed to protect insured persons from financial distress by providing partial income replacement when certain contingencies arise.
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