Finance Minister Margaret Mwanakatwe says the number of outstanding retirees and beneficiaries being owed by Government is 1 thousand 5 hundred and 77.
Mrs. Mwanakatwe says Government is currently working on raising 7 hundred 32 point 8 million Kwacha to dismantle arrears owed to them.
The Finance Minister has told Parliament that this is part of the 1 point 1 billion Kwacha budgeted for payment to retirees in 2019 and that this amount is estimated to be able to settle outstanding benefits for this year.
Mrs. Mwanakatwe explained that Government paid 6 Hundred and 91 point 4 million Kwacha to retirees between January 2018 and February 2019.
She has pointed out that a declining trend has been observed in sums of money owed to retirees.
Mrs. Mwanakatwe was responding to a question by Mwinilunga Member of Parliament Newton Samakayi on how many public service workers retired from January 2014 to June 2018, among others.
And Serenje Member of Parliament Maxwell Kabanda asked the Minister of Finance how Government hopes to resolve the issue of retirees who are still on payroll and those who are separated.
In her response, Mrs. Mwanakatwe said Government is trying to find ways of dealing with it and that it is costly.
