A protracted legal battle in the Pretoria High Court was avoided on Tuesday when the police medical scheme, Polmed, indicated it would listen to thousands of former police officers on reasons why it should not cancel their membership of the fund.
Trade union Solidarity had lodged an urgent application on behalf of 26 former police officers whose membership of the fund would have been cancelled by May 31.
Their application arose from the fund’s intention to cancel the membership of 6 149 former police members and their dependants.
The members had more than ten-years’ service and were guaranteed membership of the fund even after resignation from the police as part of their service package.
Legal arguments in court were avoided when Polmed indicated in its answering affidavit that the fund would give those who stood to lose their membership until May 31 to give reasons why their membership should not be cancelled.
Then taking into account those reasons it would decide on continued membership instead of automatic cancellation.
Only those who objected to the cancellation of their membership would not automatically lose it.
Solidarity’s deputy general secretary, Dirk Hermann, said the members would now take the opportunity to object and would only take further legal action should Polmed decide to continue with the cancellation of their membership. — Sapa