Ex-Admarc staff take Old Mutual to task
The Industrial Relations Court (IRC) in Mzuzu will today hear an application by former employees of Agricultural Development and Marketing Corporation (Admarc) who want two Old Mutual Malawi plc executives jailed for allegedly disrespecting a court order.
The court set December 21 for an inter-partes hearing and directed that all parties attend the court sitting.
Reads the court notice: “Take notice that this Honourable Court has abridged the time within which the application shall be heard. Take further notice that the applicants will rely on the statement of the parties and the affidavit in support of the application.”
The case follows a November 28 2023 court order for Old Mutual Malawi plc to provide information about the Admarc ex-workers that are to receive their pension, amount involved and effect payment through the court within 14 days.
However, following the expiry of the 14 days, the ex-Admarc employees made an application before the same court for an order to commit Old Mutual Malawi group chief executive officer Edith Jiya and board chairperson Innocencia Ottober to prison.
Court documents dated December 14 2023 show that the order for committal is being sought on the grounds of failure by Old Mutual Malawi on the former Admarc employees to receive the pension, the amount to be received by each person, the amount to be forwarded to any new pension fund and to pay the said pension of the former employees through the court
An affidavit in support of the application sworn by one of the claimants, Samuel Katambika, states that the authority of the court has been heavily undermined by the conduct of the two officials.
The affidavit further states that instead of paying former employees their pension through the court, Old Mutual effected electronic transfers to some of the claimants.
In an interview yesterday, ex-Admarc employees lawyer Leonard Mbulo confirmed filing the application. He said the number of the former employees seeking pension is 3 200 and not 4 063, as some of the employees have been retained by Admarc.
When contacted yesterday, Old Mutual Malawi Limited lawyer Davis Njobvu refused to comment on the matter, saying he will present his arguments in court.
“Obviously because it is a matter coming before court, it wouldn’t be proper for my clients or myself to comment through the media,” he said.
On January 31, 2023 government retrenched all Admarc staff and later embarked on a recruitment drive.
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