By KENNEDY MUPESENI –

THE Government is working to harmonise the pension sector by combining various Acts for effective administering of the pension fund system, Public Service Pensions Fund (PSPF) chief executive officer Richard Mwinga has said.
Currently pension funds institutions such as the PSPF, the National Pension Scheme Authority (NAPSA) and the Local Authority Superannuation Fund (LASF) are governed by different Acts of Parliament.
Dr Mwinga said the issue of harmonisation had been daunting the pension sector for long time.
“Government is working to harmonise the pension sector in the country, because currently the sector is regulated by various Acts of Parliament making it difficult to harmonise pension benefits despite retirees working in the same institutions,” he said.
Dr Mwinga said in Lusaka that for instance two teachers serving Government one could belong to NAPSA, the other with PSPF under different Acts.
Doing so would result in workers belonging to different pension fund institutions but getting similar benefits and social protection.
He said the PSPF had continued making strides in reducing operational challenges and various measures aimed at providing decent benefits for its members have been taken.
The Retirees Welfare Bureau executive director Geoffrey Chiyesu has called for a labour audit to ascertain what was causing unemployment in the country.
“There is need to carry labour audits as well as embark on manpower develop programmes to counter youth unemployment,” Mr Chiyesu said.
He proposed that the retirement age be left optional to allow workers retire either when they were 55 or at 65.
“If those who have reached 55 are capable to work until they are 65, they should be allowed and that should not be looked at as what is causing unemployment for youths but look at critical factors causing unemployment in the country,” he said.