The confirmation that the treasury had released funds for clearing outstanding retirement, pension and retrenchment benefits for ex-Tazara, Zamtel and other government workers seems to have a different picture on the ground as some workers are now doubting if really these funds have been released.
An ex-Tazara worker John Chiufya, told the Zambian Business Times – ZBT that the ones handling the pension must provide updates and information as to why the payments of their packages is delaying so that they know what is happening.
I retired in 2013 from formal employment. Till date, I have not been given my money from my pension contributions from ZSIC. I just want to appeal to the government of the day to intervene in this matter because it seems like there is no one caring.
Furthermore, Chilufya said that the institutions that are handling the money should address the workers, keep them updated and let them know why its taking long to pay out the money when the treasury has confirmed disbursing the funds.
As you are aware, money has been released by government to pay off all retired employees. So, we should be addressed by NAPSA and ZSIC who are the custodians of the released funds. They should come and give us a statement, to show how much is due to us, so that if there is anything, we will know where to go. We need a well tabulated statement from the time one started work to when one retired.
Even though the K14 million has already been released, they do not know when they will be given their money.
Right now we are blank, we are in darkness. Apart from rumors, there is nothing I can tell you, there are just rumors as at now. And how we cope with life is that we depend on our creator, he gives us wisdom when he tells you to do something then you start doing it because if just fold your arms and do nothing, then you put your children to shame.
Chilufya says NAPSA and TAZARA have given the something but has not got anything form ZSIC and stresses that he has been contributing to ZSIC for a very long time.
When I retired, I was given something like leave days from the company and what we call golden handshakes and something from NAPSA, we were given. From TAZARA and from NAPSA, we were given something but from ZISC for pension, we never got anything.
He says he has been contributing to ZSIC pension from 1978 till 2013 and has not been given anything todate. “We were supposed to given something from ZSIC a long time ago, In my case I started contributing to ZSIC in September 1978 till 2013 June”, he said.
Even though they received something from NAPSA, he says there is still huge problem between them and NAPSA.
“We got from NAPSA but there is still a very big problem between us NAPSA especially those of us who retired in 2012 to 2014 we have a problem with NAPSA because what they promised us never happened. For example when we were given those small amounts from NAPSA, we were promised by the branch manager here in Mpika who said this money we are giving you is just a form of advance to cope with life as we are preparing your terminal benefits”.
He said that “when TAZARA remits the remaining amount, which its supposed to remit to NAPSA, then they will compute the monthly pension benefits. And when they start releasing the monthly pension, they will now start knocking out what they had given us or what they gave us last time. And when that was over, that’s when we were going to start enjoying the full monthly pension”, he said.
There is an urgent need for the government to clear the air on outstanding pension benefits for its former employees to restore a functional and self sustaining state pension fund. Responses from from ZSIC and Napsa were still being awaited by ZBT by press time.
