Nasfund explains after members express disappointment with service

By GLORIA BAUAI
NATIONAL Superannuation Fund Ltd members in Lae have expressed dissatisfaction with the quality of service provided by the fund.
Last Thursday, a group gathered outside the branch office in Lae Top Town, demanding to talk with the branch manager.
Jeffrey Miria, representing the aggrieved members, said they were frustrated over constantly being told by nasfund’s client services to do a follow up or that the system was down.
Miria identified an elderly member, Manase Benjamin, who has been travelling into Lae from Menyamya since last year to follow up his withdrawal lodgment.
Branch manager Geita Goasa clarified that the superannuation had no control over the link or system going offline.
She also explained that the reason to follow up was mostly because of issues with member information uploaded to their system.
Goasa said this was mostly a failure on either the member providing wrong information to the employer or the employer not doing a proper vetting process before commencing contribution postings into the accounts.
“That’s the failure we have encountered with a lot of employers and deductions are then based upon the wrong information provided,” she said.
“Payroll or responsible officers should conduct thorough screening on all employee accounts and also consult each employee on their nasfund and any other financial details upon entry and exit.”
Nasfund Lae client services officer Ronnie Tsika referred to Benjamin’s case as a “reversal file” because of a similar mix-up.
“Reversal is a file that involves two or three members contributing to one nasfund account,” he said.
Tsika said such mix-ups could happen when people had similar common names or used the same school certificate to gain employment.
“Reversal is in fact a lengthy process where we have to go into the system and calculate contributions and interest of each member under that account, to reverse out the correct amount belonging to respective contributor,” he said.
Tsika said Benjamin’s account was already processed and pending approval from headquarters.