The row between the government and some junior civil servants over the new Pension Scheme refuses to die, as the employees have dragged their employer to court.
Documents in The Daily Times’ possession indicate that the Industrial Relations Court (IRC) has set next month as time it will hear from both sides on the matter.
In 2017, the government introduced a mandatory pension contribution scheme for all junior civil servants, which saw civil service workers below 35 years being deducted K5,000 per month as contribution towards their pension retirement package.
The development did not go well with some junior civil servants, who have been writing their employer to abolish the scheme, citing several reasons.
In previous letters to the authorities, including those that were handling public reforms, the civil servants claimed, among other things, that the new pension scheme was rolled out without proper consultations and that the amount is on the higher side to the “already lowly paid” junior employees working in government.
“Your honour, since its inception, the policy lacks transparency and accountability. This is indicated by failure by all of us on this scheme to access full information on how pension funds are like, thus no statement has been given to us, clients, by pension managers.
“Again, information we have gathered indicates that government is failing to remit our funds which, as of this date, has accumulated arrears amounting to K69 billion,” reads a letter, dated November 22 2022, which the civil servants wrote to Vice President Saulos Chilima, in his capacity as the one responsible for public sector reforms.
“Fourthly, your honour, we are deeming it as another form of slavery in 21st century. This is witnessed by an outcry of all civil servants under this scheme. Frankly speaking, no civil servant is comfortable with this policy and [it] is very unfair for ‘the] government [to] continue it [as it] seems it has been implemented not in good faith,” the letter, signed by the group’s national chairperson Samuel Chaoloka, further indicates.
In an interview Monday, Chaoloka said, having exhausted all means of raising their concerns, they have taken the matter to court.
According to a court notice we have seen, the case goes before IRC on May 1 2023 in Blantyre, with the Attorney General as the defendant.
“We would like the government to revert to the previous system, where we were contributing pension as all other civil servants. We would like to see the new pension scheme abolished. Further, we want our pension funds reimbursed,” he said.
Attorney General Thabo Chakaka Nyirenda said he would challenge the matter in court.
The group includes employees working in departments, agencies and ministries in government.
