Retired teachers. About 50,000 civil servants are set to retire over the next one year. FILE
Pensioners have blamed the government for subjecting them to harsh living conditions.
Several pensioners who had worked for Tanzania Railways Corporation (TRC) who talked to The Guardian at the weekend said the minimum pension that was reviewed from 20,000/- to 50,000/- with effect from July 1, 2009, was implemented in January 2012, thirty months later.
“When the belated pension was paid, we had expected that it would be paid with the relevant arrears, but this was not the case,’ lamented Paul Kubingwa (72), former railways senior manager.
“In a way, we (pensioners) are grateful that the government had given a thought about the harsh life facing us after retirement,” noted Andrew Mhando (72) a resident of Muheza, in Tanga region, but said they should have also been paid the arrears which had accumulated due to the government’s failure to effect the changes immediately after they were announced in Parliament.
“Failure of the government to pay us pension arrears, which is our right, has culminated in the accumulation of claims,” said Mustafa Ayub, another retiree.
“The delay to pay salary arrears to us (pensioners) is a pointer that the government not giving serious attention to our plight. They want to deprive us of our rights,” asserted Kubingwa.
According to Kubingwa, about 800 retirees, from various stations and depots of the country, are owed around 525m/- by the government, an amount which should have been paid along with their pensions in January, 2012.
Tobias Mkatte (84) one of the claimants, said if the government continued dragging its feet on settling pensioners’ arrears, it would make the matter a thorny issue, similar to the former case facing former workers of the defunct East African Community (EAC).
For his part, Azaria Moshi (82), a retired government official faulted the awkward tendency of some institutions in effecting salary changes without paying arrears.
“Time has really changed because in old days, you wouldn’t hear such unpleasant stories for what used to be the case was that whenever an employee’s salary was reviewed, the relevant salary changes took effect immediately,” he explained.
“In rare cases where delay occured, the accrued arrears were paid promptly, without the worker having to demand for it,” Moshi added.
Alex Webster, a British volunteer, was surprised seeing some retired individuals who once worked for the government for most part of their lives leading miserable lives in the country.
“Unless the pension meets the basic needs of a pensioner, then it is of useless,” he said; adding that where the government is not able to pay its pensioners adequately, it should come up with economic ventures to enable its people survive.
Several pensioners who had worked for Tanzania Railways Corporation (TRC) who talked to The Guardian at the weekend said the minimum pension that was reviewed from 20,000/- to 50,000/- with effect from July 1, 2009, was implemented in January 2012, thirty months later.
“When the belated pension was paid, we had expected that it would be paid with the relevant arrears, but this was not the case,’ lamented Paul Kubingwa (72), former railways senior manager.
“In a way, we (pensioners) are grateful that the government had given a thought about the harsh life facing us after retirement,” noted Andrew Mhando (72) a resident of Muheza, in Tanga region, but said they should have also been paid the arrears which had accumulated due to the government’s failure to effect the changes immediately after they were announced in Parliament.
“Failure of the government to pay us pension arrears, which is our right, has culminated in the accumulation of claims,” said Mustafa Ayub, another retiree.
“The delay to pay salary arrears to us (pensioners) is a pointer that the government not giving serious attention to our plight. They want to deprive us of our rights,” asserted Kubingwa.
According to Kubingwa, about 800 retirees, from various stations and depots of the country, are owed around 525m/- by the government, an amount which should have been paid along with their pensions in January, 2012.
Tobias Mkatte (84) one of the claimants, said if the government continued dragging its feet on settling pensioners’ arrears, it would make the matter a thorny issue, similar to the former case facing former workers of the defunct East African Community (EAC).
For his part, Azaria Moshi (82), a retired government official faulted the awkward tendency of some institutions in effecting salary changes without paying arrears.
“Time has really changed because in old days, you wouldn’t hear such unpleasant stories for what used to be the case was that whenever an employee’s salary was reviewed, the relevant salary changes took effect immediately,” he explained.
“In rare cases where delay occured, the accrued arrears were paid promptly, without the worker having to demand for it,” Moshi added.
Alex Webster, a British volunteer, was surprised seeing some retired individuals who once worked for the government for most part of their lives leading miserable lives in the country.
“Unless the pension meets the basic needs of a pensioner, then it is of useless,” he said; adding that where the government is not able to pay its pensioners adequately, it should come up with economic ventures to enable its people survive.
SOURCE:
THE GUARDIAN
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