MASVINGO - The Public Service Commission (PSC) has acknowledged perennial challenges including long delays in accessing salaries and pensions faced by civil servants and pensioners and the Commission is now addressing these, PSC Secretary Sibusisiwe Zembe, has said.
She said every public servant has a right to cross into retirement with confidence, dignity and financial security.
Zembe said in a speech read on her behalf by PSC Paymaster, Twoboy Shoko at a Capacity Building Awareness Campaign workshop that civil servants and pensioners have been finding difficulties in accessing their dues from Government. She said such shortcomings run against PSC's Constitutional mandate under Section 202 to ensure a public service that is efficient, effective and accountable to every citizen.
She said PSC which has also started digitization of its systems had identified information gaps in the system as the major causes of the delays and training programmes and workshops for personnel responsible for pensions, payroll, human resource, schools inspectors and payroll and other critical human resources matters have been lined up in all provinces to help deal with the problem. In addition, civil servants themselves needed to know and understand their rights concerning salaries and pensions, she said.
Zembe said this while addressing participants at a five-day workshop for Masvingo Province held at Bikita BSPZ in Bikita on Wednesday last week
Information gaps have resulted in PSC offices being inundated with documents that have incomplete or inaccurate details or that breach documentation and application procedures hence the delays, said Zembe.
"Today, the responsibility of planning for retirement falls squarely on civil servants, yet a significant knowledge gap persists regarding pension rules and benefits. This lack of information creates major operational hurdles for Pensions, Payroll and Human Resources departments, which are constantly overwhelmed by incomplete or inaccurate applications forwarded to Head Office.
"This campaign is vital to bridging that gap, with the core mission of raising awareness about retirement planning and ensuring employees fully understand what they are entitled to.
"The Public Service Commission's Capacity Building Awareness Campaign is the vital maintenance work needed to strengthen the bridge, ensuring that every public servant crosses into retirement with confidence, dignity and financial securit," said Zembe.
Attendees were also informed that PSC has begun steps to digitise and automate its services to eliminate bottlenecks, human error and delays caused by paperwork.
