Socso not accepting excuses from errant bosses

KUALA LUMPUR: “Don’t know.” “Don’t understand.” “Not sure.”

It’s the same excuses and the Social Security Organisation (Socso) is getting tired of hearing them from employers who did not register their workers to ensure their occupational safety and health.

A nationwide operation, codenamed Ops Kesan Perkeso, was launched on April 1 to track errant bosses who did not make Socso contributions for their staff. Since April 1, Socso has issued 478 compounds totalling RM330,000 against the culprits.

Its chief executive officer Datuk Dr Mohammed Azman Aziz Mohammed said ignorance was no longer an acceptable reason.

“Usually, employers would say they don’t understand, don’t know or aren’t sure about the Employees’ Social Security Act.

“We hear that everywhere. I want to stress that we mean business. You have 20 days before we track you down,” he said yesterday.

Employers who fail to register before the deadline will be issued compounds of between RM500 and RM4,000 for violating Section 4 and 5 of the Act.

Mohammed Azman said it was now possible for employers to register their staff online.

About 8,000 employers had made use of the online system since it was introduced on April 1.

“Employers can register and make the contributions online. It’s very user-friendly. The registration takes about three minutes only,” he said, adding that Socso was moving towards making online payment compulsory.

Dr Mohammed Azman said starting June 1, it would be mandatory for all employers with at least one worker to register with Socso.