Soldiers Angry Over Retirement Package Delays

By Cecil Mensah

A group of ex-military officers, who were stationed at the 37 Military Hospital, are fuming with rage over the decision of the Pay Office of the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF), to withhold their retirement package for the past six months.

The ex-soldiers wondered why the benefits of their counterparts who were not with the Medical Corps, but were also compulsorily retired by the military in 2010 alongside them, will have been paid in full, leaving them out.

The soldiers poured out their frustrations to The Herald after a marathon meeting at premises of the 37 Military Hospital, last Monday.

The meeting was to discuss how a petition, was to be forwarded to the Office of the President, to have the money released to the ex- military medical corps.

The source further told The Herald that when the National Democratic Congress (NDC) led by the Prof. John Evans Atta- Mills, assumed office, the military hierarchy decided to relieve one thousand six hundred and thirty seven officers made up of intakes in 1978,1979,1980,1981 and 1982.

Even though the severance packages have been paid to all the retired military officers, those of officers stationed at the 37 Military Hospital, numbering about 95, is being withheld for no apparent reason.

However, credible information available to them(the retired officers) can reveal that the Mills administration has released the necessary funds for the payment of the all retirement package to the officers, who were compulsorily retired, but the military hierarchy is holding on to the cash belonging to the 37 group.

The group told The Herald that when their colleagues in other units were paid their severance package, they were told by the military hierarchy that they were waiting on the Ministry of Health (MOH) to migrate the staff of the hospital onto Single Spine Salary structure (SSSS) to enable them (the military) determine the severance pay of the retired officers.

The Herald sources said the military hierarchy at the time promised to factor in the case of the retired officers at the hospital, in the re-computation programme, the moment the Ministry of Health migrated it staff at the hospital on to the SSS.

But six months have passed without a word from the military hierarchy as to when the Medical Corps would be paid their severance.

They insist that reliable information available to them suggest that the staff of the 37 Military Hospital have been migrated onto the SSS, and the back pay for staff paid by the government, however, the retirement package for the medical corps is being sat on in spite of the several promises made by the military to release the money as soon as it paid.

The ex-soldiers questioned why the military is holding on to the money when the government has duly paid it. They also questioned whether the military will pay interest on the money, since it has been withholding it for the past six months.

According to them the price of cement has shot up from GH¢11 to GH¢17, and this is going to affect various building projects they are undertaking to provide their families with decent accommodation.

They hoped the military will make amends for the loss, because if they had been paid the money two years ago they would have used it to finish these projects. More Anon!