Dear Editor,
GOVERNMENT through the various institutions owes the retirees colossal sums of money in terminal benefits.
Some retirees who retired more than 10 years ago have not yet been paid their terminal benefits. The unfortunate part is that some of the retirees died before they could receive their benefits.
When people are in active employment in the government institutions, it is a well-known fact the employees would retire upon reaching the retirement age. As such, the government is under obligation to pay the terminal benefits to the retirees. But this has not been the case in many instances.
The notable thing is that these retirees who have not been paid their terminal benefits have been reduced to beggars and they survive through the mercy of others.
The delay to pay the retirees their terminal benefits is tantamount to an infringement of human rights. Moreover, the retirees are not begging money from the government but merely claiming for what they are entitled to.
The government recently released over K250 million as payments to the financial institutions to clear the money which the civil servants owe the lending institutions. This is being done as the debt swap reconciliation which the government has implemented to provide relief to the civil servants who have the loan obligations.
In light of the above, I implore the government to source for money to pay the retirees as it has done for the debt swap programme. Ultimately, this will end the plight of the retirees.
The gist of the matter is that the retirees who have not yet received their terminal benefits are suffering a great deal. The quicker this is done the better.
ELEMIYA PHIRI,
Lusaka.
