A Transitional National Legislative Assembly (TNLA) member has raised concern over the government’s failure to effect the retirement of civil servants who have attained the prescribed age.
Natalina Amjima Malek, who is also the Deputy Chairperson of the Standing Specialized Committee on Information, said that despite parliament passing budgets for the retirement scheme, no civil servant had ever been paid pension.
“The South Sudan Pension Fund has been receiving employees’ contributions from the Ministry of Finance and Planning since its establishment, yet there has been no retirement of civil servants since 2011,” Malek told parliament.
“The august House has been passing the National Budget for the last 13 years, including the deductions of the salaries from the civil servants,” she said.
According to Section 84(1) of the Civil Service Act 2011, retirement at the age of 65 is mandatory for the civil servants, officials and employees. Malek, however, said that has not been possible because the government has not paid people to retire.
“The Pension Fund Act, 2012, section 6(1), 8(d), & 9(1) provides the establishment of the fund and gives it the powers to collect contributions from pensionable employees and their employers either directly or from the Ministry of Finance and Planning,” she said. Malek called on parliament to summon the Minister for Public Service and Human Resource Development to explain why his ministry had failed to monitor the implementation of the pension fund.
“In accordance with section 10(a) (b) of the Civil Service Act 2011 which provides that the Minster of Public Service and Human Resource Development monitors the implementation of the Act, I move the motion to summon him to appear before the august House,” she said.
Jonglei State’s Ayod County member Gatkuoth Wat said parliament last year passed 15 billion South Sudan pounds to the pension fund to prepare for the retired civil servants, but the results were yet to be seen.
“Honorable Speaker, in our last budget, this House passed 15 billion to the pension fund to effect the retirements in installments. The Ministry of Finance is supposed to pay the money in installments to the people who have retired,” he said.
The lawmaker seconded the summoning of the Finance and Labor, Public Service and Human Resources ministers and the pension fund management to parliament.
The Speaker, Jemma Nunu Kumba, handed the motion to a House committee for scrutiny before further action.