Maravi

Pay workers before retrenching them, urges Masebo

Pay workers before retrenching them, urges Masebo
By Zumani Katasefa in Ndola
Sunday December 30, 2007 [03:00]

LOCAL government and housing minister Sylvia Masebo has urged councils and water utility firms in the country not to retrench workers before paying them their dues. Speaking during a press briefing in Ndola on Friday when she announced that the government had released K15.3 billion to pay benefits to former councils workers who were retrenched from councils and seconded to water utility firms on the Copperbelt Province, Masebo said councils and water utility firms should only retrench workers when they have money in full to pay their benefits.

"Do not retrench anybody until you pay him benefits in full. We do not want to hear about any retrenchment when there is no money,'' Masebo said.

And Masebo said the money that the government released to pay the retrenched workers was a loan from the World Bank and said that it should therefore be used prudently.

She said the money would be shared among the three water utility firms on the Copperbelt namely Kafubu , Nkana and Mulonga water and sewerage companies, to pay their retrenched workers who were seconded from the local authorities.

She said Kafubu Water and Sewerage Company would get K5.9 billion , Nkana Water and Sewerage K6.3 billion and Mulonga Water and Sewerage K3.3 billion.

She said the money had already been disbursed to Nkana and Mulonga water and sewerage companies but it had not yet been disbursed to Kafubu Water and Sewerage because there were some problems which management and affected workers have to sort out before funds would be made available to them.

Masebo urged the affected retrenched workers from Kafubu Water and Sewerage Company to sort out their problems as soon as possible, saying that if they delayed, the money would be sent back to the World Bank.

And Masebo said the government had a fortnight ago released K11.5 billion to towards reducing debt local authorities in the country owed the Local Authority Superannuation Fund (LASF) .

"I am happy to say that under the local government, we gave K11.5 billion two weeks ago to LASF,” she said.

Masebo said councils have been owing LASF for eight years from 1999.
"We have managed to bridge the gap from eight years to one year,'' said Masebo.

Labels: COUNCILS, LABOUR, SYLVIA MASEBO, UTILITIES

posted by MrK @ 5:15 AM