FUJAIRAH, 19th May, 2023 (WAM) — Mohammed Khalifa Al Zeyoudi, Director of Human Resources Department in the Government of Fujairah, conducted majlis visits to various community councils, government, and private entities across Fujairah to raise awareness about the services and projects launched by the General Pension and Social Security Authority (GPSSA). During the visits, human resources department employees learned more about Shourak, one of GPSSA’s recent transformational projects. They had the opportunity to understand its implementation mechanisms and procedures, as well as ask questions regarding Shourak. The project aims to encourage insured members to merge their employment service years when changing jobs, without incurring additional costs. Attendees at the majlis included Mohammed Khalifa Al Zeyoudi, Director of Human Resources Department in the Government of Fujairah; Hind Al Suwaidi, Acting Executive Director for GPSSA’s Pension Sector and Benefits Management Department Head; Mohamed Saqer Al Hammadi, Pension Operations Department Head, and several employees from various governmental entities in the Emirate. Al Zeyoudi emphasised that the Human Resources Department in the Government of Fujairah is committed to overseeing national projects and developments launched by UAE-based authorities, especially those related to employers/entities. He explained that the department collaborates continuously with GPSSA to raise awareness among insured individuals and employers/entities regarding insurance, retirement, and pension. These schemes enhance employees’ overall quality of work while ensuring they receive the best insurance benefits. Al Suwaidi explained that such meetings allow GPSSA to meet with entities and provide accurate knowledge about the provisions of the UAE Pension Law. She updated them on various projects, including Shourak, GPSSA’s latest transformational project launched as part of the federal government agency performance agreements in 2022. Shourak allows insured individuals to merge their previous and subsequent years of employment service without disbursing the previous end-of-service benefits, thus avoiding additional costs and benefiting employees, she added. Al Suwaidi emphasised that all Emiratis employed in the government and private sector can implement Shourak as of 1st July 2013. However, Shourak does not apply to previous service periods before that date, nor to pensioners who have already received their pension. Additionally, Shourak does not apply to those who have worked less than one year or employees transferring from another pension fund. It only includes those covered under GPSSA’s umbrella and subject to the UAE Pension Law. However, it is still possible to benefit from exchanging benefits from one pension fund to another if both the insured entities agree to the merger and the employer to whom the insured is transferred “covers” the merger cost. Al Hammadi explained the mechanism involved in obtaining Shourak. This includes the insured person signing an acknowledgement form at the end of their service period, stating that the end-of-service gratuity will not be paid due to joining a new entity within six months from that date. The signed acknowledgement form must be submitted within one month from joining the new entity. If the insured does not submit the request within the one-month timeframe, the merger request is voluntarily withdrawn. Additionally, the merger procedures do not apply to individuals aged 60 years and above or those who pass away before completing the process.
Source: Emirates News Agency (WAM)