LHRC wants Bill tables as promised

Thursday, 25 October 2012 22:23

By Louis Kolumbia The Citizen Correspondent   Dar es Salaam. The Legal and Human Rights Centre (LHRC) has urged the government to implement the August Bunge resolution that demanded that a Bill on pension funds be tabled for amendment before the next Parliament. In a quick rejoinder, the National Assembly Information officer, Mr Prosper Minja, told The Citizen that the Parliamentary Leadership Committee would decide on Monday whether such a Bill would be tabled. He said the committee would meet in Dodoma, a day before the start of Parliament sessions to brainstorm over tabled issues. He said after the meeting, the committee would give a general time table of the sessions. The Citizen has obtained a copy of the Written Laws (Miscellaneous Amendments bill No. 3, 2012) that shows that the government has in fact made a U-turn on its earlier decision to block the withdrawal of benefits by members of pension funds through the Parastatal Organisations Pensions Scheme Act that was passed by Parliament earlier this year. In the midst of these positions, LHRC director of Advocacy and Reforms, Mr Harold Sungusia, read his organisation’s statement in Dar es Salaam yesterday, advising the National Assembly to give legal protection to pension funds. He asked the House to seek for government accountablity in case of unfairness on those seeking their money by allowing legislators to table autonomous bills.  “They are supposed to join hands in Parliament to resubmit the Bill to amend laws on withdrawal of benefits due to a worker when he/she leaves the fund,” observed Mr Sungusia. He faulted those who alleged that amendments on pension laws were meant to implement the 1952 ILO convention, saying the claim was baseless and unfounded and was aimed at purposely to deny people their welfare benefits.  He said the country had never endorsed the said convention. Mr Sungusia said that what mattered were public interests and not the denial of rights under the umbrella of the United Nations conventions.  “These benefits needed to be substituted for unemployment allowances. Why didn’t they start giving out these benefits to complement benefits that retiring people were missing?” asked Mr Sungusia. He said that changes on workers’ welfare impacted negatively on the prosperity of the country, saying increased prices of products and unemployment had become a national calamity. Mr Sungusia said the amended Act was put into practice retrospectively, a move that dissolved prospects of the workers, noting that the fixing of the retirement age by the Act lacked a scientific approach as far as the present lifespan was concerned. “Tanzania’s female population is anticipated to live not later than 54, while their male counterparts’ life expectancy is fixed at 47. Fixing the legal retirement age at 50 years means that Tanzanians will hardly enjoy their benefits because most of them would have been dead,” elaborated the rights advocate. In another development, Mr Sungusia claimed that the government had been behind the changes in pensions laws in an effort to prevent the funds from collapsing after the state spent more than Sh700 billion on non-performing projects in the country. He said National Social Security Fund (NSSF), Parastatal Pension Fund (PPF), Private Sector Pension Fund (PSPF), Local Authorities Pension Fund (LAPF) and National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) used over Shs.427 Billions to fund the construction of university of Dodoma and a state organ building. According to the Controller and Auditor General (CAG) report, NSSF, PPF and LAPF collectively funded the construction of Bunge Hall in Dodoma worth Shs. 19.77 Billions while NSSF alone spent Shs. 20 Billions to facilitate the project to construct police houses. “The funds also facilitated construction of Machinga complex and granted loans to other six companies something that makes them take protective role against collapsing and liquidity as allowing payments to workers could further weaken the institutions” he substantiated.