Government urged to pay pensions early

Saltpond (C/R), Jan. 17, GNA - Retired Teachers in the Mfantseman District have appealed to the government to be proactive in processing pension payments so that pensioners would start receiving their monies soon after retirement.

Mr Anthony Kobena Obbin, a spokesman for the pensioners, said currently, retired workers received no monthly salary until his or her retirement benefits were worked out. This, he said, is an infringement on the livelihood of the worker. Speaking at a meeting at Saltpond, Mr Obbin said it took between six months and two years for a retired worker to get his or her benefit. "All this period, the retired worker and the family have to live on high-interest loans."

He said repayment of such loans, which were often contracted from local money lenders, also ran into difficulty as soon as the worker's regular salary ceased coming to the bank. Mr Obbin said many retired workers died out of frustration before their retirement benefits could be worked out. "What is more pathetic is that our credit unions have not been doing anything to help because there would no longer be any salaries to deduct from."

Mr Obbin tasked the Controller and Accountant-General's Department to work out a worker's pension as soon as the person's name is deleted from the payroll.