HE Zimbabwe Diamond and Allied Mineral Workers Union (ZDAMWU) has petitioned the Mining Industry Pension Fund (MIPF) demanding that it produces audited financial statements from 2015 to date amid concerns that many miners have not been benefiting from the pension fund.
Their petition comes at a time when the mining sector has seen an influx of Chinese miners, who are being accused of flouting local labour laws, and are allegedly not paying them according to pay regulations in the sector.
Also, some employers are accused of not remitting their workers’ pension contributions to pension funds even after deducting the money from their salaries.
In a letter addressed to the MIPF principal officer dated November 19, ZDAMWU secretary-general Justice Chinhema stated that union members were demanding audited financial statements to assess the state of pension funds.
“You are aware that we have members in the mining industry who are also making financial contributors to the MIPF on a monthly basis. Our members are interested in the smooth running of the affairs of the MIPF to which they are members. They have asked us to request audited financial statements from the year 2015 to date,” read part of the letter.
“The request is in line with provisions of the Pension and Provident Funds Act, which states in section 26 that workers have, ‘Rights to obtain copies of or to inspect documents (1) a registered fund that is not an insurance company scheme shall deliver to any member or pensioner on demand by that member or pensioner and on payment of such sum, if any as may be specified in the rules of the funds a copy of (a) the rules of the fund, (b) the last audited income and expenditure accounts and balance sheet of the fund’.”
Chinhema demanded that the MIPF should respond to the workers at the earliest possible time.
The MIPF is yet to respond to the union’s demands. (Newsday)
