SZV and VSA to start joint controls this week

PHILIPSBURG–The Ministry of Public Health, Social Development and Labour VSA, Social Health Insurances SZV and the Inspectorate of VSA will begin joint controls on businesses this week in an effort to increase compliance.

Labour Minister Emil Lee held discussions with SZV and the Inspectorate about starting the joint controls this week. “This is a good idea because the inspectors will have complimentary authorities and responsibilities. Instead of sending two labour inspectors out at the same time, we can now pair off one VSA inspector with one SZV inspector,” Lee said during the Council of Ministers (CoM) press briefing on Wednesday.

The Minister also indicated that after having conversations with various businesses, he understands that government bureaucracy can sometimes make simple compliance a challenge. If a business can prove that they have been proactively trying to comply, but have not been able to because of the bureaucracy, then that would be taken into consideration when inspecting their business.

He said the joint controls will also help to identify where the bottlenecks are. Lee said that compliance is increasing as the Labour Department has received an increase in the requests for employment permits. SZV has also reported improvement in collections.

The Minister urges businesses to have their documents in order and prepare for the inspections. Inspectors will look to see if a business has a licence, a crib number, an employee registry, a work schedule posted publicly and pay slips for employees. “We would also request information as to what your turnover is. In addition, worker safety requirements are also expected to be in place,” Lee said.

“We strongly recommend businesses to be proactive about complying with the laws. The inspectors understand that the goal of the Ministry is to improve compliance and inspections are just one tool to improve compliance. Other tools include awareness and education. We are partners and can facilitate increased compliance.”

Businesses are urged to contact the Inspectorate for any assistance they may need in order to comply with the law.

Source: Daily Herald SZV and VSA to start joint controls this week