Civil Servants under the Public Service Pensions in Sinazongwe District are appealing to the Government to consider amending the Pensions Act in order to provide for the partial withdrawal of their contributions.
Speaking in an interview with ZANIS, some civil servants expressed their concern that it was unfair for the Government to only consider public workers under the National Pension Scheme (NAPSA) leaving out those under the Public Service Pensions Fund (PSPF).
Joseph Hamoonga, a public worker under PSPF said the Government program of enabling those under NAPSA partially withdraw their contributions must be extended to under PSPF in order to help them also access the funds for their investment.
Mr. Hamoonga said those under PSPF were equally under the risk of not benefiting from their pension contributions because of bureaucracy in the process of accessing the retirement package whenever one was retired.
He said that others ended up dying without accessing their terminal benefits leaving their dependents stranded especially the children.
Magerate mwiinga another PSPF member expressed her concern that the Government must consider offering them an opportunity to partially withdraw their contributions.
“We are requesting the Government to ensure the Pensions Act are also amended and assented by the President to enable us access part of our contributions before we retire and die,” she said.
The Labour Movement in Sinazongwe District has also expressed similar concerns for its membership that is under the PSPF.
Zambia Union of Government and Allied Workers (UG)has also called on the Government to be considerate on the matter as it was affecting some sections of public workers particularly those under Pensions.
UG District Executive Committee Chairperson Stephen Phiri said a number of members that were under pensions were concerned and interested in also accessing their part of the contributions.
Mr. Phiri said it will be motivating enough to the public workers under pensions once the act is amended and passed by the President just like what was done to the NAPSA act.
However, workers under NAPSA started accessing their partial withdrawal after the amended act was signed by the President recently.
The process has elated many NAPSA members as they have been able to access their money while some have been complaining about the process as they are still finding it difficult to easily complete the process.
If the economy was doing well, people wouldn’t need to have partial withdrawals. It ie a sign that things are worse under upnd
If they can’t pay those who have retired how do you expect to pay you. There’s a difference between the two pensions.
What is that difference? Apart from Napsa being a general player in Pension issues. It takes all workers whether private and or public. PSPF is for only public workers. But they are all pension houses.
#Kabaso Brian….Napsa has got the capacity. Your pension scheme is a typical civil service pension which is very broke in both cash and innovation. There are a lot of differences if you care to take a closer look at the two. Even the offices where your pension is run from still stinks of poorly cleaned toilets and tables covered with green colonial cloth
Educated people are the most cowards- Micheal C SATA.
What is that difference? Napsa is a general player in Pension issues. It takes all workers whether private and or public. PSPF is for only public workers. But they are all pension houses.