Former Zambia Postal Services (ZAMPOST) workers retrenched in 2014 have appealed to President Hakainde Hichilema to directly intervene in the non payment of their terminal benefits.
Group spokesperson Godfrey Handondo said no major progress is being made by the Government to pay ZAMPOST retrenchees benefits despite them exhausting all channels of communication.
Mr. Handondo said the former ZAMPOST workers are wondering why they are not being paid after Government reportedly approved their payment last year in August.
Mr. Handondo has told journalists in Ndola that most former ZAMPOST workers are living miserably as they do not have another source of income after being retrenched.
He said the ZAMPOST retirees acknowledge and appreciate the goodwill that has been demonstrated by President Hichilema in ensuring that retirees in this country are paid their terminal benefits since assuming public office in 2021.
Mr. Handondo said it was unfortunate that there no payment plan and time frame attached for the execution of the payment at Ministry of Finance.
He said several assurances given to the retirees l by concerned officials in the past have materialized.
“ZAMPOST retirees acknowledge and appreciate the goodwill that has been demonstrated by his Excellency the President of the Republic of Zambia in ensuring that retirees in this country are paid their terminal Benefits since assuming public office in 2021.ZAMPOST a quasi Government has retirees who have not yet been paid their terminal benefits to date despite their terminal benefits having been audited and approved for payment last year in August.We have had no payment plan and time frame attached for the execution of the payment at Ministry of Finance,” Mr. Handondo said.
The Zambia Postal Services (ZAMPOST) in 2015 and 2014 retrenched 98 workers due to competition from private entities.
“We have only heard of a lot of assurances since last year and the first and second quarter of this year 2023 has passed without any actualisation of payment done let alone any hint of information of what is causing the non payment of these much talked terminal Benefits.The problem is more compounded in that ex workers who are supposed to be on a monthly salary payment as stipulated in the letters of separation are not being paid by ZAMPOST as the company has no money owing to the financial position of the state owned company making the life of the separated workers more miserable as having no source of income as empowerment,” he said.
Mr. Handondo said his group is expecting the Government to quickly process their benefits.
“These workers were retrenched and retired far way back in 2014.The workers are humbling appealing to the caring father of the nation His Excellency the President to intervene in this matter which has long being in public domain and after exhausting the established channels of communication,there is seemingly no substantial progress made to have this matter sorted out,” he said.
The government had started paying off the retirees who spent many years waiting for their pension.
In the 2022 national budget, the Government 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).
They were gullible to vote for failures like upnd thinking they would get their benefits. Now they realise they have been dribbled by the expert crook hh. You deserve to suffer until 2026 when pf will return