PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten — Social & Health Insurances SZV hosted well over 100 guests at its offices on Tuesday (April 17th) evening for the first of a series of ‘Employer Obligations’ information sessions as part of the SZV compliance awareness campaign launched earlier this month. The information session was specifically for the construction sector and guests included employers, main contractors, sub-contractors, administrative personnel, lawyers and accountants.
General SZV employer obligations were highlighted such as registration, mutations, declaration and payment. SZV however paid special focus to the explanation of the ‘chain of liability’ law. SZV stressed the importance of companies understanding their obligations and the liability risks of non-compliance to the SZV laws.
“With the post-Irma status of the country, there is an undeniable spike in the construction sector, which is a logical result; however, this spike is not reflected in the administration of SZV. The compliance awareness campaign is not only for the construction sector, but for all employers in all sectors, new and old.
SZV will be intensifying its controls, and supplement to this, the awareness campaign offers employers the opportunity to gain the necessary information to better understand and adhere to the stipulated procedures. It is also a welcomed opportunity for employers to connect with SZV and come to solutions for those facing difficulties in complying with their obligations.” – SZV Management
The session lasted for an additional hour, ending at 9pm, as guests posed relatable questions regarding the registration requirements of their employees, procedures for mutations and responded critically to the explanation of the ‘chain of liability’ law. Many sought to better understand how to improve their contracts and negotiations, due to the risk of additional liability to SZV.
Representatives of SZV confirmed during the session that a specific follow-up session solely on the topic of the ‘chain of liability’ law would take place in the month of May. Contractors will also be contacted directly by SZV to schedule individual support sessions with account managers. Those interested were able to schedule their appointments with the SZV Employer Desk directly after the session.
The session was a welcomed opportunity to highlight the Employer Desk services, which was launched last year, including the new online services such as the Online Employer Portal. The portal enables online declaration and payment of SZV premiums. In addition to online declaration and payment, many employers present expressed the need for online submission of mutations as well. SZV was pleased to announce that this request is well known and currently being worked on. The option to submit mutations online is expected to go into pilot phase later this year within Online Employer Portal, which is accessible via the website of SZV www.szv.sx.
Follow-up workshop sessions for Employers will commence in the month of May and focus on the topics of: Chain of Liability law, Submitting mutations, Declaration of Premiums and Online Employer Portal access and use. Interested persons will have to register for participation, as these sessions will be hands-on, hosted in small-groups or on an individual basis. SZV encourages attendance of Managing Directors to these sessions as well, as the administrative responsibility and thus liability ultimately falls on these persons. Registration will be possible via the website of SZV and dates will communicated in May.
The presentation slides of Tuesday’s session are now available on the website www.szv.sx. Video footage of the session will be made available on SZV’s YouTube channel on a later date. Additional requested information such as wage limits and premiums, employer premium payment percentages, declaration forms and requirement lists are also available on the website.
Questions or contact with the Employer Desk can be made via +1721 546-6782, info@szv.sx, www.szv.sx or SZV’s Facebook Page: SZV Social & Health Insurances.
