| 4,173 tardy bosses must pay Socso fines |
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| Written by 3K Admin |
| Thursday, 24 September 2009 14:16 |
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2009/09/24 By Annie Freeda Cruez KUALA LUMPUR: A total of 4,173 employers have been slapped with RM500 compound notices since the Social Security Organisation launched its latest operation to identify those who fail to register with it. They were among the 21,370 employers checked so far under the operation codenamed "Ops Kesan Perkeso 2009" which was launched last month. Socso chief executive officer K. Selvarajah said the errant employers were given two weeks to settle the compound fine, failing which they would be charged in court.If found guilty, they can be sentenced to two years' jail or a fine of RM10,000 or both under the Employees' Social Security Act 1969.
He said many of the errant employers were identified through their employees who came to Socso offices to make claims under either the EIIS or IPS. "Some employers deduct the money from the workers' pay for Socso but do not remit it to Socso," he said, adding many times employees lose out on their benefits due to their employers' failure to remit the contributions. He said that as of last year, 383,115 employers registered 5,450,943 employees with Socso. Last year, Socso also dealt with 56,339 cases of small and major industrial accidents, 17,682 commuting accidents and 341 involving occupational diseases. Over the years, it has paid out more than RM890 million in compensation in death and accident benefits to workers and their next of kin. He said the launch of Ops Kesan Perkeso has created awareness among employers of their need to register with Socso as many voluntarily registered since last month. For last month, 5,048 employers registered compared with the monthly average of 3,000. "Employers who register voluntarily will be exempted from legal action."
They can register at any of Socso's 46 offices nationwide or call 03-42575755 for more information. For complaint via text message, type PERKESO [your complaint] [IC Number] and SMS to 15888.
Selvarajah said they would continue their enforcement operation to ensure workers and their families were protected.
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