All companies, enterprises and businesses that employ one or more employees are required to register with the National Social Security Fund (NSSF). Those who attempt to evade registering their staff will face legal consequences, explained Sok Bora, director of the NSSF’s Benefits Division, as he addressed a June 25 meeting with union representatives.
“If the NSSF find that the owner of any company or enterprise is not registering their workers, an inspection will be carried out. Any company that refuses to register their staff will be subject to fines,” he said.
He noted that after paying the fine, company owners would still be obligated to register their employees.
All workers who are already registered with the NSSF – in terms of occupational risk and health care – will automatically become members of the NSSF’s pension scheme.
He said that when any employee reaches retirement age, they will receive twice-monthly pension payments, and will also be eligible for free healthcare.
Moeun Tola, executive director of the Centre for Labor Alliances and Human Rights (CENTRAL), suggested that the NSSF complete a thorough check of its registration system, as he believed some companies had not registered their staff members, which meant they were missing out on the benefits of the NSSF.
“The NSSF has been pushing for companies to register their workers for a long time, but it seems to only apply to large registered factories. Many construction companies and contracted factories are avoiding making contributions to the fund. It may be intentional, so they can avoid regular payments,” he added.
