Friday, March 29, 2024

Retrenched workers react angrily to Minister’s statement to HH that all is well on the Copperbelt

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Former Zambia Postal Services (ZAMPOST) workers retrenched in 2015 have reacted angrily to Copperbelt Minister Elisha Matambo’s statement suggesting that all was well in the province and that the Government has paid retirees benefits.

When welcoming President Hichilema to the Copperbelt where he officiated at the National Agriculture Field Day in Mpongwe District on Friday, Mr. Matambo said the people in the province are happy with the New Dawn government’s achievements that including paying of retirees.

But speaking on behalf of retrenched ZAMPOST workers on the Copperbelt, Anthony Nkandu said Mr. Matambo lied to President Hichilema.

Mr. Nkandu said former ZAMPOST workers on the Copperbelt have not been paid their benefits.

Mr. Nkandu said former ZAMPOST workers are disappointed with Mr. Matambo for telling President Hichilema last Friday that retirees have been paid benefits when in fact not.

He said Zambians are not expecting ministers in the New Dawn government to tell lies.

“When our President Hakainde Hichilema came to the Copperbelt on Friday at the airport, the Provincial Minister Mr. Elisha Matambo lied that people on the Copperbelt are fine. He also said the President had done well to pay retirees benefits but as former Zampost workers we have not been paid our benefits. Worse off Zampost management has removed us from the payroll. We don’t get salaries. The law states that if you retire or retrench someone leave them on payroll as they wait for benefits. It’s now over three years we no longer get our salaries. So we are furious that Mr. Matambo lied to our President that retirees have been paid on the Copperbelt and that all was well in the province,” Mr. Nkandu said.

The Zambia Postal Services (ZAMPOST) in 2015 retrenched 98 workers due to competition from private entities.

“We are very sad. We have not been paid benefits as former Zampost workers retrenched in 2015. If government has indeed sourced money for retirees it means former Zampost workers have been left out. The President and the nation should know that Mr. Matambo lied. We are in New Dawn government where people should not tell lies. It is very unfortunate that a Minister could tell lies. If you want to prove this go to the Zampost head office and inquire about our situation as retrenched Zampost workers they will tell,” he said.

Mr. Nkandu said former ZAMPOST workers want President Hichilema to help them get their terminal benefits.

He said the retirees are suffering after being removed from the payroll by management even though they have not been paid benefits.

“We are requesting our President to look at our situation and ensure that former Zampost workers are paid their terminal benefits quickly. We have suffered for too long. Imagine being retrenched for over seven years. We are even failing to pay our rentals. We know our President listens to people’s concerns and he will hear our plea. But we repeat Mr. Matambo lied to the head of state.Please Mr. President look at former Zampost workers with pit. We have suffered for too long,” Mr. Nkandu said.

ZAMPOST Master General Brighton Ngoma last August told the media that his management had engaged Government on the matter and it is willing to take up the payment of the former workers.

Last December, President Hichilema announced that the UPND government had started paying off the retirees who spent many years waiting for their pension.

In a facebook post the President said the 2022 budget, has allocated K2.1 billion to dismantle the outstanding arrears.

The Ministry of Finance and National Planning in January, 2022 released K1.46 billion for social protection programmes of which K1 Billion was targeted at paying pensioners under the Public Service Pensions Fund (PSPF).

17 COMMENTS

  1. The constitution does not apply or work in reverse. So if you were retrenched in 2015, then you do not qualify to be on the payroll even if you were retrenched as the article in the constitution which states that the employee to remain on the payrol until benefits are paid was enacted in 2016. Meaning you are not covered.
    So follow up with The minister to his office and find out, may be money was released and someone has sat on it like the FTJ university saga.

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  2. The constitution does not apply or work in reverse. So if you were retrenched in 2015, then you do not qualify to be on the payroll even if you were retrenched as the article in the constitution which states that the employee to remain on the payrol until benefits are paid was enacted in 2016. Meaning you are not covered.
    So follow up with The minister to his office and find out, may be money was released and someone has sat on it like the FTJ university saga.

  3. Matambo has joined the league of crazy Copperblet provincial Ministers like Alexander Kamalongo and Kangwa Nsuluka who misled their bosses. The people of Kafubu depot that include his relatives are waiting for him

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  4. You were retrenched in 2015 and the man who tasked with speaking on behalf of them has been quiet all through two General elections….this man must have been eating alone or he was too scared of being punched up by Bowman and his goons.

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  5. The New Doom is a movement for liars. Lies in the morning, lies in the afternoon and lies in the night.

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  6. #1 Please have some level of sympathy for those who are suffering. Besides the man has given his views

  7. Government of lies…watoloka imisu wanyanta pamafi…..this is what Zambians voted for….muzadya oxygen

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  8. There is a difference between retrenchment and retirement….zampost is an interesting case because people were being laid off without being paid…the Minister did not lie

  9. 2015? Wasn’t that Edgar China Lungu being the totally incompetent president? Go talk to him!

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  10. Ha Ha Ha Ha Kikikikikikiki – Retrenched in 2015!, MacPherson Chanda was post master general then, now in court for theft of social cash tranfer funds for the vulnerable in Zambia. HH then, was being persecuted by PF regime. Evidence is all over, Postal retrenched workers should ask Bowman Lusambo and PF regime and pass the story to UPND for consideration. UPND is busy with asset recovery to pay for such cases neglected by PF regime.

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  11. I don’t know why people are laughing at these retrenchees. When you retrench employees, you have to pay them accordingly. The fact that their retrenchment happened during the PF Government doesn’t make them less Zambians and less rights. Just like loans borrowed by the PF Government, the current Government has to pay these and other people their dues. It’s lack of knowledge to try to tie everything to a previous Government. Government is not Upnd or any other party… Government is the republic of ZAMBIA.

  12. @Deja vu the childish attitude is so shocking. Laughing at someone’s illfate because you’re in a more comfortable position is soooo primary school behavior that I don’t expect anyone who can log into a computer to indulge in. How did some people find this site when indeed they don’t even know how government works? PF or UPND or MMD are political parties. They are not government.

  13. I don’t know why CB people are complaining. They have black mountain to themselves..FQM is giving them 1.8billion usd. Vandata is opening KCM again.

  14. @13 DeJavu @14Faye Dunaway
    And imagine the so called Lusaka Times bloggers can’t differentiate between Party and Government …they think PF or UPND are Governments….these are just political parties and they can go in extinction at any time….we have the Government of Zambia since 1964 ……not Lungu or HH or Kaunda…not PF or UPND or UNIP

  15. The Head of State knows very well the state and plight of our unpaid workers.
    Did Matambo need to tell the President such a lie?

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