PRUNING THE CIVIL SERVICE WITHOUT RESTRUCTURING – Amb. Emmanuel Mwamba

By  Amb. Emmanuel Mwamba

PRUNING THE CIVIL SERVICE WITHOUT RESTRUCTURING

The Public Service is using the Judgement in the case of Martin Nyambe and Others vs. Konkola Copper Mines PLC Appeal No. 2 of 2022 and Sandras Samakayi vs. Attorney General 2023/CCZ/0015 on retirement age to prune the highly overstaffed civil service.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) says Zambia is using upto 50% of all its domestic revenue to pay about 200,000 public service workers.

The retirement age of 55, 60 to 65 years, will only apply to those employed after 2014 when the new law was promoulgated…everyone else before that will go at 55 years as per old law. Those who had extension of their retirement must regard those as null and void.

This is a major development.

Pension Funds just completed amendments to paying retirement benefits.

For example, following the assent of the National Pension Scheme Amendment Act No. 7 of 2015 on 14th August 2015, pensionable age for members of NAPSA was revised as follows:
1. Early retirement age – previously 50 years, now 55 years
2. Normal retirement age – previously 55 years, now 60 years
3. Late retirement age – 65 years.

This will now only apply to those employed after 2014.

In the USA retirement age was raised to 62 and 65 years arguing thst this the most productive and experienced labour demographic.

But sometimes governments raise retirement age to relieve pressure on retirement budgets and pay-outs.

I wonder at what stage this Government will communicate this important development that has affected thousands of workers in the public service.