The public affairs department of the National Social Security and Insurance Trust (NASSIT) has said that although Fourah Bay College is meeting its commitment in payment of contributions to the scheme for its employees, the institution does not provide regular soft copies of the “schedule” of payment.
NASSIT’s Deputy Manager of Government Operations Department, Amara Sartie made this statement at a question and answer session held at the Mary Kingsley Auditorium, Fourah Bay College on Monday where both administrative and academic staff of Fourah Bay College were engaged on the concept, mandate and operations of the NASSIT scheme in the country.
Sartie said the failure by institutions to submit soft copies of the schedule was making it almost impossible for NASSIT to effect the distribution of the contribution among the employees concerned. He called on FBC in particular to make available both hard and soft copies of the “schedule” which would enable NASSIT to determine how the money is to be distributed.
Earlier, NASSIT’s public relations officer, Owen KaiCombey pointed out that the purpose of the meeting was not to apportion blame but to create a forum where NASSIT, the employer and employees would interact and understand their rights, responsibilities and obligations.
Asked whether it was the responsibility of NASSIT or the employee to take the employer to task for failing to pay its contributions to the scheme, KaiCombey said it was the former, adding that NASSIT has three ways of making employers pay their contributions, which are “soft demand”, “harsh demand” and “court action”.
NASSIT was established on 12 July 2001 by the National Social Security and Insurance Trust Act which came into force on 20 July 2001 with the mission “to administer a social security scheme that provides financial security to all employees in Sierra Leone in the form of old age benefits, invalidity benefits, and survivors’ benefits based on social security principles”. On 15 July 2004, Parliament passed into law the NASSIT regulations.
(C) Politico 11/06/13
