By Alhaji Dauda
The leading telecommunications service provider in Sierra Leone, Orange SL has once again bagged another award. This is not the first time the company is bagging this award. This year’s award presented to Orange SL by National Social Security and Insurance Trust (NASSIT) is also for being the best company which is fully compliant in accordance with the NASSIT Act No.5 of 2001, as far as registering and paying contributions for its employees to the Scheme is concerned.
Orange SL CEO and team after receiving the award
Presenting the award, to the Orange SL CEO and team, Minister of Labour and Social Security, Alpha Timbo described Orange SL as “best telecom company compliant to the NASSIT Act No. 5 of 2001, which mandates all public sector employers to register and pay contributions to the Scheme for all their employees. He added: “We congratulate you and appreciate you for your contribution to the development of Sierra Leone over the years.”
The above event took place during the Employers’ Banquet and Awards’ Ceremony hosted by NASSIT at the Freetown International Conference Centre, Bintumani Hotel in Freetown which was well-attended by a host of government officials, NASSIT Trustees, management and staff, members of the Fourth Estate and other distinguished guests.
Speaking in the place of the Vice President Dr. Mohamed Jalloh Juldeh Jalloh who was Guest of Honour but unavoidably absent, Minister Timbo extended his thanks and appreciation to President Julius Maada Bio, the NASSIT Trustees, management and staff and to all stakeholders including employers for gracing the occasion. He went on to remind his audience that it was the late President Alhaji Tejan Kabbah that expressed the vision to establish NASSIT to provide social security services to pensioners and for other contingency payments to deserving beneficiaries or dependents.
He used the opportunity to urge all compliant employers to continue being on the side of government and cautioned those employers that are still non-compliant to do a rethink and comply with the Act because there is the NASSIT Industrial Court which has the mandate of looking into cases of non-compliant employers.
The Minister of Labour briefly explained the mandate of NASSIT which includes but is not limited to registering all public sector employers in a bid to ensure that they register and pay contributions for all their workers to the Scheme at the end of each month, so as to provide pension and other contingency payments for their workers when they would have retired from service or to their dependents.
Speaking in his capacity as Director General of NASSIT, Mohamed Fuad Daboh made similar sentiments. He reiterated the importance of registering with NASSIT and the consequences that are there for non-compliant employers. He thanked the Chief Justice for setting up the NASSIT Industrial Court which tries matters relating to non-compliance and hands down judgment on same.
He explained to his audience that though only twenty employers were selected for this year’s awards, it does not mean there are no other compliant employers out there. He added that the selection criteria to identify the ‘best compliant employers’ was rigid and took into cognizance issues of correct registration of numbers of employees, prompt payment of contributions among other criteria. He encouraged those employers not receiving awards not to be discouraged but to use this as motivation to do better and more. He stated further that private sector employers can voluntarily register and pay contributions for their employees but noted that very soon it would be mandatory by law for private employers to register and pay contributions for their employees to the NASSIT Scheme.
President of Employers’ Federation, who triples as Managing Director NP-SL and Chairman, NASSIT Board of Trustees and who also chaired the event, Kobi Walker in his summing-up, encouraged employers to always be on the side of the law, adding that it is mandatory on all employers to register and pay contributions to NASSIT for them. He also urged non-compliant employers to do as the NASSIT Act says, otherwise they would face the consequences in the near future.
The climax of the event was the presentation of awards to twenty employers including Orange SL who during the financial year 2022, fully complied with the NASSIT Act No.5 of 2001. The recipients were urged to continue the good work which would ultimately inspire others to do likewise.
