FUJAIRAH 14 May 2017: The General Pension and Social Security Authority (GPSSA), has said that insured persons and their families are covered against risks from day one of subscription.
The authority made this announcement at a workshop, which was organised recently by the Fujairah Government Human Resources Department, to create awareness about the benefits of insurance that are assured by the pension law.
The workshop was attended by Khalifa Al Zayoudi, Director of the Fujairah Government Human Resources Department, while GPSSA was represented by Mohammed Saqer Al Hamadi, Director of Customer Happiness Centre, Khalifa Al Falasi, Acting-Director of the Dubai Operations Centre, and Arif Abdullah, Head of Expansion of the Insurance Protection Department.
Al Zayoudi stressed that the workshop is a good opportunity for all the employers and the insured in the emirate of Fujairah to be introduced to the pension law and related legal issues by specialists. He said that the human resources department is keen to enhance awareness on all the issues related to the domains of the employers and the employees in the emirate.
Work Risks
Al Hamadi explained that insurance subscription protects the insured and his family from potential work risks. Accordingly, the insured is eligible for pension in case of death or injury at work leading to his disability even after a day of being insured.
He also stated that the law does not set an age limit for pension eligibility in most cases, as stated in Article 16, excluding resignation cases. It also does not set a certain period of service for eligibility in case of death, termination by a decree, or end of service because of total physical disability, health issues, or for reasons threatening his life if he continued working. This is provided that such cases are proven by a specialised medical committee that is the competent jurisdiction.
However, in some cases, the law stipulates a minimum period of 15 years of subscription with the authority for pension eligibility, regardless of the age and service termination. This is in cases of company dissolution, bankruptcy, clearance, termination of the insured, removal, or retirement by a disciplinary decision or judicial sentence.
No Age Limit
He also explained that the law does not set an age limit except in two cases. The first instance is in case of resignation, wherein 20 years of service and 50 years of age are the criteria for pension. The second case is of pension referral because of the legal age of 60 years and a minimum of 15 years of subscription.
The value and the importance of pension are embedded in two reasons. The first is to provide an alternative and permanent income for the insured in case of termination, in order to insure a decent life for him and his family. The second reason is that the benefits of the pension extend to include his family after his death. The insurance of life and the future of the family, make pension a major goal for the insured subscription, he added.
By Sheena Amos