SSC Can’t Get It Right

I WRITE to your newspaper about this problem only as a last resort.

I continue to receive accounts from the Social Security Commission for workers who left my employment long ago. I have written a series of letters to the Social Security Commission over the last 18 months explaining the errors in my account in detail.None of these letters has been answered, and inaccurate accounts continue to arrive in the post.I contacted the Namibian Employers’ Federation for assistance several months ago.They responded helpfully, but have not yet been able to make any headway in resolving the matter.In 2004, I noticed that the accounts I received from the Social Security Commission were incorrect.I have only two employees, so it is not difficult for me to keep track.I constructed a clear table showing the dates on which various individuals had entered and left my employment, their salaries and the cheque numbers of the payments made.I went to the Commission’s office in person twice and spent a long time going over this information with a member of the accounts department.I was told that my account had been rectified on the basis of this lengthy discussion.I then paid the revised amount required to bring my account completely up to date.Since then I have made regular payments for my two employees.I paid my outstanding account in full as of the end of May 2005 for these two employees, who both resigned on that date.With the cheque was a covering letter clearly explaining the payment and the resignations.I have subsequently received a series of accounts from the Social Security Commission, none of which bear any relation to reality.The latest one alleges that I owe a total of N$3 411 dating back to November 2000.Over N$1 503 of this amount has accumulated during the recent period when I have had no employees registered with the Commission.There may be more than just bad record-keeping going on.When my accounts first began to go wrong, I asked to see my files.I noted that one of my employees was recorded as having a much lower salary than he was actually earning.This fictitious lower salary would have entailed a lower monthly contribution from both employer and employee – what happened in the meantime to the extra amount that I was actually paying in respect of the correct salary? In 2001, an employee died while working for me.When her husband went to claim the funeral benefits, he was told that she was not registered.He was able to claim the benefits eventually, after some difficulty, only because I had sent each payment in respect of the deceased employee with careful covering letters – and kept copies.Maybe it seems unimportant that the accounts are not in order for a small employer like myself.On the other hand, maybe small employers like myself are least likely to have professional personnel managers or bookkeepers who will notice such errors.And I know of other small employers who have experienced similar problems.I would be happy to be assured that the confusion surrounding my account stems from honest mistakes.But why are the accounts so inaccurate? Must I make charts and visit the Commission’s office in person every time there is a change in my staff? It would be cheaper for me to pay the relevant benefits out of my own pocket than to pay the incorrect amounts which the Social Security Commission claims that I owe.I want to be a responsible employer and follow the law in every respect.But with record-keeping like this, employees may never benefit from the payments which they and their employers make each month.And why does no one from the Social Security Commission respond to my letters? This is simply unprofessional.I can only hope that making my problem public will at least produce some response, and perhaps inspire other employers to speak out if their accounts are also incorrect.I would suggest that the Anti-Corruption Commission consider an investigation into the record-keeping systems at the Social Security Commission to confirm that the mistakes are not part of any corrupt practice.Dianne Hubbard WindhoekI have written a series of letters to the Social Security Commission over the last 18 months explaining the errors in my account in detail.None of these letters has been answered, and inaccurate accounts continue to arrive in the post.I contacted the Namibian Employers’ Federation for assistance several months ago.They responded helpfully, but have not yet been able to make any headway in resolving the matter.In 2004, I noticed that the accounts I received from the Social Security Commission were incorrect.I have only two employees, so it is not difficult for me to keep track.I constructed a clear table showing the dates on which various individuals had entered and left my employment, their salaries and the cheque numbers of the payments made.I went to the Commission’s office in person twice and spent a long time going over this information with a member of the accounts department.I was told that my account had been rectified on the basis of this lengthy discussion.I then paid the revised amount required to bring my account completely up to date. Since then I have made regular payments for my two employees.I paid my outstanding account in full as of the end of May 2005 for these two employees, who both resigned on that date.With the cheque was a covering letter clearly explaining the payment and the resignations.I have subsequently received a series of accounts from the Social Security Commission, none of which bear any relation to reality.The latest one alleges that I owe a total of N$3 411 dating back to November 2000.Over N$1 503 of this amount has accumulated during the recent period when I have had no employees registered with the Commission.There may be more than just bad record-keeping going on.When my accounts first began to go wrong, I asked to see my files.I noted that one of my employees was recorded as having a much lower salary than he was actually earning.This fictitious lower salary would have entailed a lower monthly contribution from both employer and employee – what happened in the meantime to the extra amount that I was actually paying in respect of the correct salary? In 2001, an employee died while working for me.When her husband went to claim the funeral benefits, he was told that she was not registered.He was able to claim the benefits eventually, after some difficulty, only because I had sent each payment in respect of the deceased employee with careful covering letters – and kept copies.Maybe it seems unimportant that the accounts are not in order for a small employer like myself.On the other hand, maybe small employers like myself are least likely to have professional personnel managers or bookkeepers who will notice such errors.And I know of other small employers who have experienced similar problems.I would be happy to be assured that the confusion surrounding my account stems from honest mistakes.But why are the accounts so inaccurate? Must I make charts and visit the Commission’s office in person every time there is a change in my staff? It would be cheaper for me to pay the relevant benefits out of my own pocket than to pay the incorrect amounts which the Social Security Commission claims that I owe.I want to be a responsible employer and follow the law in every respect.But with record-keeping like this, employees may never benefit from the payments which they and their employers make each month.And why does no one from the Social Security Commission respond to my letters? This is simply unprofessional.I can only hope that making my problem public will at least produce some response, and perhaps inspire other employers to speak out if their accounts are also incorrect.I would suggest that the Anti-Corruption Commission consider an investigation into the record-keeping systems at the Social Security Commission to confirm that the mistakes are not part of any corrupt practice.Dianne Hubbard Windhoek