UCZ Synod United Church of Zambia
The United Church of Zambia Synod Management has initiated Conversations with Prudential insurance in a bid to find a sustainable terminal benefit package for the Church Workers.
United Church of Zambia General Secretary, Rev.Chipasha Musaba disclosed the development during synod meeting held from 7th to 13st July in Kabwe.
Rev.Musaba said payment of terminal benefits to the retired church workers has been one of the serious challenges that the Church is facing and that there was an urgent need to come up with a sustainable social security package for the Clergy.
“Despite designating five congregations to be servicing statutory obligations and the retirement dues, the funds have not been sufficient,” he said.
The General Secretary said the population of the work force has continued to grow from the time and that the stipend has continued to renewed over time, resulting into the Church workers being paid their dues in piecemeal.
” The church has observed that the current system for the administration of the church workers fund is unreliable and an ideal agent for social insecurity for church workers. Given this un healthy situation, Synod management has engaged and consulted with different Insurance companies to design a scheme that would guarantee efficiency in the administration of retirement packages for retired church workers, ’he said.
He said synod management recommend to Synod meeting that an MoU be entered into with Prudential Insurance because the company offered the most realistic package.
Rev. Musaba said discussions with Prudential Insurance were underway and that Synod Management will report to Synod Executive once the discussions have been concluded.
The United Church of Zambia has been paying retired Ministers and diaconal workers in instalments. For the past two years, the Church made frantic efforts to pay a good number of retires but the number of those unpaid is still overwhelming.
