UNPAID RETIREES CRY TO NEW GOVT

By PETER SICHALI GOVERNMENT should start paying outstanding pension benefits to retirees who have continued dying due to destitution, Next Avenue for Retirees in Zambia (NARIZ) president Albert Muyembe has said. Mr Mayembe said the UPND Government should consider paying outstanding pension benefits for retirees as a matter of priority. “We appeal to new administration to consider paying us our long outstanding pension benefits,” he said. Mr Mayembe said many retirees had died and left only files gathering dust at various pension schemes while their families were wallowing in poverty. Meanwhile, Mr Mayembe congratulated the President-elect Hakainde Hichilema for emerging victorious in the just ended general elections. He said the outgoing Government had no political will to pay pensioners, hence the need fort he new administration to act “The outgoing regime had no political will to pay us our money but they paid themselves gratuity handsomely, hence leaving us behind completely,”Mr Mayembe said. He said Government consider quick disposal of all industrial relations court cases concerning retirees. “Some cases have taken 5 to 10 years in the courts of law without being concluded, consequently many retirees have died leaving their cases without ruling or direction,” Mr Mayembe said. Mr Mayembe said some industrial related cases had taken long resulting to some pensioners dying without getting their dues.