Pay Us Our Benefits, Post Newspaper Ex-workers Cry Out To President Lungu

Former workers of the liquidated Post Newspapers have appealed to President Edgar Lungu to pay them their monies before the August 12th elections.

In a letter addressed to Liquidator Lewis Mosho, the ex workers through a Committee formed to represent them, the workers want President Lungu to pay them their benefits before elections,

The workers have also revealed that 28 of their colleagues have since died without getting their benefits.

“Since Mr Mosho went to the media to inform the public about his initial payments, we have also decided to use the media to inform the government and the nation that he has not honoured met his obligation to former Post Newspaper employees- this exercise to the full,” read part of the letter.

“We wish to also state here that since 2016 when the company was closed, 28 of our colleagues have since died without getting a ngwee from the money they worked for. While those behind the closure of the company benefitted in all sorts of ways, we have been suffering the last five years, with no meaningful income. We, therefore, ask President Edgar Lungu, whose government sent us on the streets, to order Mr Mosho to pay us. We have every reason to believe that money is there to pay us because most of the valuable assets of The Post were sold immediately after the closure. Alternatively, let the government source money to pay us before elections.”

Below is the full letter

POST NEWSPAPERS LIMITED (IN LIQUIDATION)
MEDIA STATEMENT FROM FORMER EMPLOYEES

On June 21, 2016, the government of the Republic of Zambia, through the Zambia Revenue Authority (ZRA), closed the company we worked for -The Post Newspaper. Thereafter, Zambia Revenue Authority (ZRA) appointed Lusaka lawyer Mr Lewis Chisanga Mosho from Lewis Nathan Advocates as liquidator of Post Newspapers Limited. Immediately, Mr Mosho embarked on an exercise to sell all the major assets of the company, including the head office properties situated at Plot 36 Bwinjimfumu Road in Rhodes Park, Lusaka. The Post had other offices and properties in all the provincial centres.

Sometime in 2020, we appointed a committee from among ourselves that would represent us in engagements with Mr Mosho over our money. This was after we had our first meeting with Mr Mosho at his office. After about two meetings with the committee, between August and November 2020, Mr Mosho paid some of our colleagues who were in the lowest grade as was proposed to him by the committee. It must be mentioned here that these were small amounts as prescribed under the liquidation law, which does not favour employees at all. While this was happening, Mr Mosho published in the Daily Nation newspaper that he had started paying former Post employees. He promised to pay the rest before December 25, 2020. Thereafter, the story changed, he moved the deadline to February, 2021 month end. Later, we were promised to be paid by March, 2021 month end.

Eventually, Mr Mosho stopped cooperating with the committee whenever they sought meetings with him. Mr Mosho has avoided meetings with the committee since January this year. His perpetual explanation has been that he was still looking for buyers of a few remaining Post assets located in the industrial area of Lusaka. And this is the money from which he was expecting to pay the rest of us. What is most annoying and unfortunate is that a company like Stewart Investments, which has occupied The Post offices on Lumumba Road since 2017, has been operating for free. The company does not even pay rentals for occupying the property.

Since Mr Mosho went to the media to inform the public about his initial payments, we have also decided to use the media to inform the government and the nation that he has not honoured met his obligation to former Post Newspaper employees- this exercise to the full. We wish to also state here that since 2016 when the company was closed, 28 of our colleagues have since died without getting a ngwee from the money they worked for. While those behind the closure of the company benefitted in all sorts of ways, we have been suffering the last five years, with no meaningful income. We, therefore, ask President Edgar Lungu, whose government sent us on the streets, to order Mr Mosho to pay us. We have every reason to believe that money is there to pay us because most of the valuable assets of The Post were sold immediately after the closure. Alternatively, let the government source money to pay us before elections.

Signed:

COMMITTEE REPRESENTING FORMER POST NEWSPAPER EMPLOYEES

This article originally appeared on Lusaka Times