Sacked NIDA workers ask JPM’s intervention for benefits

SACKED NATIONAL IDENTIFICATION AUTHORITY (NIDA) DIRECTOR GENERAL, DICKSON MAIMU

• Over 500 former employees of the National Identification Authority (NIDA) have sought President John Magufuli’s intervention in retrieving their social benefits they believe is at stack amid the allegedly controversial termination from office last month.

They say the situation is grim over payment of their salary arrears, eligible bonuses and social security benefits, as the employer had failed to elaborate terms of dismissal in an impromptu decision to fire them that also found the employers off-guard in settling debts with pension funds.

The employees’ representative, Godwin Luhanza told journalists in Dar es Salaam on Friday that NIDA Managing Director Dr Modestus Kipilimba had terminated their contracts without formerly informing the subjects about the decision in defiance of the civil law.

“An employee has the right to be called to testify against potential dismissal before the decision is made,” he said.

“It was only after verbal sacking that they were given the letters of termination on their request, which were nevertheless, short of details over how salary arrears and others eligible benefits would be paid,” he said.

He said the workers were shocked on finding out that NIDA had not paid a cent to pension funds from where they had expected to collect their benefits, since July despite deductions from their monthly salaries.

“When we asked for a brief statement from the pension funds, namely GEPF, PSPF, LAPF and NSSF to which we had contributed, we discovered that the last time NIDA had contributed was in July 2015,” he said, implying that the authority had been pocketing their contributions.

“We call upon the president to investigate into the matter and take appropriate measures,” he said.

Seif Kibangu, one of the victims said they were given vague answers to their claims when they approached NIDA administration for settlements.

“Administrative Manager Enrich Foya told us the authority did not have the money, and that we should expect payment only when they get it from the government at an unknown date," he said.

Nida Information Officer Rose Mdami confirmed Kibangu’s assertion, saying the authority had indeed no money to pay the sacked workers, but vehemently denied Kipilimba’s allegation that they had sacked the workers in violation of the law.
However, she appealed for workers’ patience saying they would be soon get paid.