Western and Central Pensioners want deductions halted
The Takoradi Branch of the SSNIT Pensioners’ Association together with the Central Regional Branch have unanimously called on the National Executives to halt the four Cedis deduction into the Pension Mutual Scheme.
The members said it had been four solid years of the implementation of this scheme without the commiserate benefits to them.
“There are lots of our members who have not received their PMS cards for the past four years when the scheme was supposed to have taken off, meanwhile hospitals continue to reject the few of us who have been issued with these PMS cards”.
Mr George Francis Daniels Takoradi Branch Chairman said this during a conference in Takoradi.
The members described the scheme as a total failure, not able to meet the health needs of members aside wrong representation of the bio data of the group.
“It is surprising that our National and Regional officers have turn a deaf ear to meet our request for withdrawal with hostility…so many letters have been sent but no national executive has come to respond to our needs…we call on the national officers to stop our deductions and refund same”, he added.
They aggrieved members were disgusted at the behaviour of the national executive for failing to comply with the directive of the National Pensions Regulatory Authority in finding amicably solution to the issue.
“We are by this press conference serving a notice, we are ready to wash our dirty linen in public, we are serving this notice that failure to comply with our legitimate request, and we shall be compelled to take any legal means to retrieve our monies”.
On the Associations’ Constitution, the group was not happy about the amendment clandestinely made by the present executives to extend their tenure of office.
Mr Andrew Kobina Haizel, Chairman of the Central Region Branch said behind the scenes amendment of the constitution was to cover up their evil deeds with regards to financial misappropriation.
He further alleged that the national executives appointed their own delegates for national conferences without recourse to branch or regional executives which their constitution frowned upon.
There are restrictive provisions in respect of how a member of the association can qualify to contest for national or regional offices …we call for a review without delay.
Mr Haizel said the National executives knowing very well of their act of misappropriation and other ill behaviours had managed to put in place an Article in the new constitution created to indemnify themselves to extend their tenure of office.
According to the Central Regional Chairman, the national executives’ paid themselves huge sums of allowances and had over the years failed to account for the special support fund the SSNIT gave to support their annual conferences.
“Our account is in a sorry state, it is sad and pathetic that a group of old men and women acting as executives could behave in this manner…in fact our account is flawed with all manner of questionable transactions only meant to cover up their deeds”, he added.
“We are prepared to break out and form a new association if the necessary solutions is not received”.
On annual increment, the pensioners’ appealed to SSNIT and the NPRA to mitigate their plight by granting additional five percent to the SSNIT pensioner at mid-year.
Currently, the minimum wage of a pensioner is GH¢303 and considering current economic conditions, it was imperative that the vulnerable group were well supported.
All efforts to contact the national executives for their side of the story had proved futile.
Source: GNA