Mkushi mining firm faces prosecution
SACKO Mining Limited of Mkushi risks being prosecuted for allegedly failing to meet its social security statutory obligations, National Pension Scheme Authority (NAPSA)
regional manager Tapeya Phiri has warned. Mr Phiri told the Daily Nation in an interview that the mining firm had defaulted on remittance of workers’ contributions since inception of operations in the area.
Mr Phiri said NAPSA had made efforts to make the employer comply with the NAPSA Act but to no avail adding that the authority had been left with no option but to drag the mining firm to the courts of law.
He said every employer with employees was expected to remit their pension contributions to NAPSA the first month they were engaged.
“Basically we have been making efforts to have this employer comply with the National Pension Scheme Authority NAPSA Act.
We have written to them, we have approached them, they are not being co-operative.
We are now left with no option, we are now going to take them to court.
"Litigation is the next process. Every employer who is employing employees in this country is expected to contribute their pension contributions the first month they start engaging them. This is not the case with this employer," Mr Phiri said.
He stressed that, it was by law that every employer who did not comply with the statutory obligations of not remitting pension contributions, shall be prosecuted if they did not cooperate.
Mr. Phiri said the move to prosecute Sacko Mining Limited was meant to make the employer become cooperative and comply with law.
Mr. Phiri said the mining firm still had two weeks in which to start complying with the law.
Employers, should not hide behind ignorance because before an employer starts employing workers he should understand labour laws.