Secretary to the Cabinet Roland Msiska has clarified that the new retirement age of 65 years that was recently approved by Cabinet has not yet come into effect.
Dr. Msiska says the decision by Cabinet is the first step in the process of reforming the pension system in the country.
He said following the proposed change to the retirement age from 55 to 65 years, government will have to table a Bill in Parliament for further debate.
Dr. Msiska explained that once Parliament passes the new law on retirement age it will then be sent to the President for assent.
He said it is only after presidential assent that the new law will be implemented.
The Secretary to the Cabinet was speaking in Mporokoso yesterday when he addressed civil servants in the district.
Dr. Msiska urged Zambians to debate the matter and offer their views on the proposed new retirement age.
Meanwhile, Dr. Msiska has advised labour leaders in the country to intensify sensitization campaigns on the collective agreement signed between government and trade unions on the new conditions of service for public service workers.
He said it is saddening to note that many workers especially in rural parts of the country do not fully understand the new conditions of service offered to them by government.
Dr. Msiska said government expects union leaders to be in the forefront of explaining the new conditions of service to their members so that industrial harmony continues to prevail in the country.
Recently, government and the labour movement signed a new collective agreement on conditions of service for public service workers in the country effective September this year.
And the Zambia Federation of Employers (ZFE) says it has received Cabinet’s decision to increase the retirement age from 55 to 65-years with shock.
Speaking to QFM News, ZFE Executive Director Harrington Chibanda says it is sad that the views expressed by the labour movement on the issue earlier have not been considered.
Mr. Chipanda says the Zambia Federation of Employers together with the Zambia Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) was against the idea of increasing the retirement because government failed to come up with convincing reasons for doing so.
He notes that the matter is in the technical report of the constitution making process and was supposed to be discussed by Zambians so that they agree whether the retirement age should be increased or not.
Mr. Chibanda says government’s decision to increase the retirement age without the issue being conclusively debated by the Zambian people lives one wondering whose interest government is serving.
He adds that government should have waited for the consultative process by the labour movement who represent the interest of the workers, and had initially opposed the increase in the retirement age.
Mr. Chibanda points out that an employee is more productive below the age of fifty five, stating that issue of health start coming in above that age which may make them not to be so effective in carrying out their responsibilities.
He says he is aware that government is looking at the whole issue from the angle of delaying the payment of pension benefits so that the money still remains in the economy in the pension schemes.
Mr Chibanda has further stressed that the implications are so many hence government should have left it to the people themselves to decide.
He since urged government to consult stakeholders on critical issues.
proposed approved which is which???
Msiska looks like Zoro!! with black mask.
@nostradamus
you cracked my ribs,,,kikiki… zoro with a black face mask ka!!!!! thats a good one
@nostradamus
a closer look at his face, those look like effects of jaribu or ambi kamudodo…mwe!
1.3 Ndobo, ati jaribu… kekekeke yaba!! that tu soap is effective. Trying to fight retirement age by deleting wrinkles.
PF please learn to consult. The 65 years is too much, may be reduce it to 60 years which is ok. Not 65 years, we are saying no to this sir. Again I repeat PF learn to listen don’t do things in a blind way …no no no.
Peace and Prosperity to Mother Zambia.
It is called formality process: The upward revision of the retirement age was “proposed” by PF, then “tabled” by PF Cabinet, then it will be “debated” in PF parliament, then it will be sent to PF president to “assent”. So why call on the general citizenry to debate the issue in futility??
walasa, correct, 100%.. the issue is decided, nothing to discuss here, these guys dont listen.
What’s the point of setting a retirement age in Zambia when the long retired like Munkombwe are being called back from retirement to fill a posiition which could be taken up by one of the many YOUNG VIBRANT EDUCATED UNEMPLOYED YOUTH?? Please move on to a new constructive topic!
Useless PF mouthpiece you are an embarrassment,a medical doctor who makes himself a useful i.diot its a shame.Stop thinking with your mouth Msiska,ok !You are not talking about panadol but real issues of the working class.Ba Power Failure improve the way you communicate issues to the general public ,why this excitement?Anyway with a grade 2 drop out dishing out jobs to doctors in wrong positions which they do not even qualify for ,what do you expect?Chaos upon chaos.
Honestly, in a country where life longevity (expectancy) is below 40, how does one unilaterally increase the retirement age to 65 without comprehensive consultation from people? And how does one single out a sensitive issue like this one from the new draft constitution which is still under debate and make it law? This is pure dictatorship at play aimed at suppressing any divergent view in order to advance their evil ‘don’t kubeba’ agenda. The move is also aimed at stealing money from the majority Zambians who may no reach that age. This is also a great disadvantage to the youth who will have to wait for the whole of their life time to get a position in the civil service as most of the positions will be held in perpetuity by the same old folk.
Rebase the years. ITS NOT MORE YEARS PEOPLE WANT, ITS MORE MONEY U PROMISED THEM THEY WANT!!!!!!!!!!!!
ZCTU, ZFIAWU, ZFE and workers in general what it the role of these organisation if government will work up in the morning and say here are the conditions of service? Does not make sense. Life expectancy is below below 50 so why increase to the already dead people or those living in injury time? or borrowed time?
Romors reaching MMD offices are that Muhabi Lungu wants to Join UPND..
People will spend more time attending physiotherapy at UTH than being in the office coz old age has its own challenges!Pliz allow us a chance to get promoted and also allow the old citizens get 2 bond with their grand children!
S ince one of PF s strongest point of increasing the retirement age is that most of the people retiring at 55 are still energetic and still came back for employment, then the most sensible thing to do will be to increase from 55 to 60 taking into consideration life expectancy in this country. It will not make sense to only make the money available which somebody sweated for after they are no more.
AWE BA SATA BUT NANGU TWALIMITEMWA. NOMBA THIS IDEA OF MAKING LAWS WITHOUT CONSULTING IS NOT HELPFUL. YOU HAVE A BACK-LOG OF UNEMPLOYED YOUNG PEOPLE WHO ARE STILL WAITING FOR THEIR TURN TO BE EMPLOYED. AND YOU STILL WANT TO KEEP THE OLD MADALAS CLINGING ON TO JOBS. WHEN ARE THE YOUNG PEOPLE GOING TO BE EMPLOYED? THE 600 CRIMINALS YOU HAVE RELEASED FROM JAILS WILL ALSO NOT HAVE JOBS OUT HERE. THEY WILL JUST BE ROAMING THE STREETS AND STEALING OR ROBBING PEOPLE AT GUN POINT. SO PLEASE BA TATA BA SATA DO NOT MAKE THE MISTAKE WHICH RB MADE OF NOT LISTENING TO PEOPLES VIEWS. WE MAY GET FED UP AND THE GOODWILL WE HAVE TOWARDS YOU MAY WANE OUT. MAYBE 60 YEARS IS ACCREPTABLE. LET PEOPLE RETIRE WITH SOME ENERGY TO ENJOY THEIR PENSION WHILE ALLOWING THEIR GRAND CHILDREN ROOM TO BE EMPLOYED ALSO.
In fact let people retire at 5o, so that they establish businesses and employ unemployed youths when their business minds are still fresh.
any one above 60 should not be an MP or President. FUl stop
ALL THE UNEMPLOYED YOUTHS NOW YOU HAVE MORE AMMUNITION TO DE CAMPAIGN THIS ARROGANT GOVT.THEY PROMISED YOU JOBS ,NOW THEY ARE RECALLING FOSSILS TO TAKE YOUR JOBS!SO COME 2016 VOTE WISELY
From 55 to 65.
BY 55 every worker should start using superannuation money to prepare for life after work. Zambians have died without seeing their money.
55 to 65 should not be excuse for Funds to hold on to peoples money for ever.
Super Fund managers shld send financial statements to members showing status of contributions and earnings. The old “NPF” did not add value to people’s contributions. It is better to leave those contributions into a TERM Deposit, becoz from 1970 to 2013 a One Kwacha would have compounded substantially than leaving it in PNF/NAPSA.
Introduce Self Managed Super. With good Super legislation, people have freedom of choice with their investments. eg, get a loan and invest in a rental house. Repay using Super contributions+Rentals. NAPSA earns next to…
@KoloKom-bwaz
I like your jargon, but you know that in Zambia that will NEVER happen. All we do is just talk, talk, talk, talk, talk, talk, talk.
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