Breaking News: TERS (2020/09/07)
Employment Equity Reporting 2020
2020-08-13Hello world!
2020-09-29New Directive extends TERS until the end of the COVID 19 Disaster
The Minister of Employment and Labour published a new Directive today extending the TERS benefit. This extension in the terms of the directive:
“shall be in operation for as long as the declaration of the COVID-19, in terms of the National Disaster Management Act, 2002(Act No. 57 of 2002), as a national disaster subsists or is withdrawn by the Minister, whichever comes first.”
This means that there is a further extension until at least 15 September (the date the Disaster Management Act has been extended to.
Having said that, no one to our knowledge has received the July/August TERS yet.
There has also been a clarification in a document called Extension Direction Communication. The definition of who TERS can be applied for has had the following added to it.
- TERS can be applied for when vulnerable employees are unable to return to work, i.e. they have comorbidities or health issues which place them at a higher risk of complication or death should they contract the virus
- Employers can apply if:
- They are not permitted to commence operations either partially or fully by the Regulations
- They are unable to make arrangements for vulnerable employees to work from home
- They are unable to fully employ staff because of economic, technological, structural, or similar needs caused by compliance to regulations
- They are required to limit the number of employees at the workplace through rostering, staggering of working hours, short time or the introduction of shift systems and the temporary reduction in the employee’s ordinary remuneration.
The Directive has been back dated to 15 August 2020.
We are not sure when applications will open, but we have been warned that the DOL is intending to close applications for previous months.