Africa-Press – Tanzania. PUBLIC Service Social Security Fund (PSSSF) members have been urged to develop a tendency of regularly tracking their membership contributions to avoid unnecessary inconveniences during retirement, the Fund’s Director of Operations, Mbaruku Magawa has insisted.
Speaking this week at the ongoing 45th Dar es Salaam International Trade Fair at Mwalimu Julius Nyerere grounds, Mr Magawa said it is important for every PSSSF member to have information on the flow of his/ her membership contributions right from the day they are employed.
Mr Magawa was speaking on the performance of the Fund, including services offered to its members, retired civil servants and the general public.
“PSSSF members should not wait until their retirement time during which they start searching for information regarding their contributions made during their entire period of service,” he said.
He added: “PSSSF members are obliged, from the time they are employed, to at least once a year crosscheck with the Fund to establish the status of their monthly contributions.” He said it is crucial for any employee to establish his/her membership contributions to have a clear picture of how his/ her retirement condition will be instead of doing so during retirement time.
He said members are not obliged to go the Fund’s offices in search for information since everything can be accessed in the pension Fund’s website.
According to Mr Magawa, individuals with no computer sets at home or at work can use their mobile phone handsets to access information available in the website. He said knowing the trend of contributions enables the member to establish if the amount of money (contributions) submitted to the Fund by the employer is correct when calculated from the salary earned.
He asked employers to accord full cooperation to PSSSF officials when they approach them to collect information on their employees, including their documents to have clear details to simplify the process of effecting terminal benefits to retirees.
“We have started implementing the government directives that require us to collect PSSSF members’ exhibits to avoid unnecessary inconveniences upon retirement. He asked the public, especially members to be cautious with conmen who seek money from members so that they hasten the process of paying their terminal benefits.
He reminded the general public that PSSS members are all employees in the public service employed after the commencement of PSSSF Act, employees who are members of the former schemes at the time of commencement of the PSSSF Act and employees employed after the commencement of the act in any specified corporation or company where the government or its agent owns more than 30 per cent of the share.
Mr Magawa said after an individual is registered with PSSSF as a member he/she becomes eligible to be furnished with all membership information, including the status of his/ her contributions.
He said the roles and duties of the Fund include registering members, collecting members’ contributions, engaging in strategic investment to maintain a high enough rate of return due to changing market conditions and paying pension or terminal benefits to members
