ZUS threatens to punish Labor Offices for defaulting on premium payments

The Social Insurance Company (ZUS) has subjected the accounts of the Labor Office to intense scrutiny following a discovery they had defaulted on premium payments. The daily Zycie has learned that Labor Minister Longin Komolowski has appealed to ZUS to delay action against the Labor Offices as that could affect their ability to pay unemployment benefits on time. The problem at the Offices could be a result of the Finance Ministry allocating insufficient funds allowing for only the minimum benefits to be paid to the unemployed and nothing extra for ZUS as health insurance. The problem is further exacerbated by Labor Offices' legal obligation to pay health insurance to ZUS even for the 78% of the unemployed that do not receive benefits. (Zycie, page 6)