SHAH ALAM: Even if there is only one employee for the nasi lemak or pisang goreng stall by the road side, all employers must ensure contributions to the Social Security Organisation (Socso) fund are made, said its chief executive officer, Datuk Seri Dr Mohammed Azman Aziz Mohammed.

       Speaking to the media following Sosco’s nationwide operations to ensure compliance yesterday, its 13th Ops Kesan to date, Mohammed Azman said all parties are required to contribute if they have employees, based on the Employees Social Security Act 1969 (Act 4) and the Employment Insurance System Act 2017 (Act 800).

       “We gave everyone a month to come forward and now we will take action against those who fail to comply. These employers now cannot say that we did not give them time to do it.

       “There are no exceptions, even e-hailing is required to make a contribution,” he said, adding that the Sosco contribution should not be seen as a burden, but as a benefit during unfortunate times for either the contributors or their families.

       “Even with the RM1,200 minimum wage, the contribution by the employer at 1.75%, and 0.5% from the employee, will come to some RM20, which is a minimum amount,” he said.

       Mohammed Azman added that a total of 220 compounds and seven compliance orders were issued by Socso after visiting 1,258 employers yesterday morning.

       He also mentioned that during the month-long legalisation programme in May, Socso saw a 15% increase in registration at all its branches nationwide.

       “During that period, a total of 8,843 new employers came to register, recording an impressive increase of 15%, compared with the number of new employers who registered in April 2022, which was 7,709 employers.”

       Those who have yet to register will need to come forward voluntarily, otherwise, compounds will be issued.

       “The government had provided financial assistance to companies, either small or medium, to sustain their businesses during the pandemic.

       “There should be no more excuses for them not to register,” he said.

       Earlier in his speech, Mohammed Azman said even domestic workers must be registered. However, out of the total of 133,000, only 10,298 have been registered, which is less than 10% of the total.

       As of March 31, a total of 527,659 active employers have registered – covering a total of 8.74 million workers – including 1.99 million foreign workers.