Some of the pensioners
Members of the Effiakuma Local SSNIT Pensioners Association have called for substantial increase in their meager monthly pension allowances to make life comfortable for them.
Some of the pensioners, they indicated, have been receiving less than GH¢400.00 a month and wondered how anybody could survive on such a paltry amount of money.
They therefore called on the Board of Directors of the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) to increase their allowances to GH¢600.00 a month across board due to their health needs and other social responsibilities.
Isaac Mensah, a member of the association, revealed this in an interview with DAILY GUIDE during the inauguration of the Effiakuma Local SSNIT Pensioners Association.
He indicated that the aim of the association is to ensure that members are properly taken care of, because of their immense contributions to the development of the country.
He encouraged all pensioners in the vicinity to join the association to help give them a strong voice.
The Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolitan Chief Executive (MCE), Kurentsir Sam, who inaugurated the association, commended the pensioners for their various contributions to promote the agenda of successive governments, adding, “A nation that does honour its heroes is not worth dying for.”
He suggested that there should be an initiative to enable SSNIT pensioners get involved in the usage of their Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) contributions.
He called on public servants to change their attitude towards work.
Mr Sam said that teachers in public schools now use their contact hours to do assignments on distance education to the detriment of the school-children.
He continued, “Civil servants now do not adhere to their oath of secrecy and give relevant information out without being asked to do so. And those who have access to the social media please don’t use it to disturb the country’s relative peace.”
The Sekondi-Takoradi MCE told the pensioners to take advantage of the government’s free Senior High School (SHS) policy to send their children to school, urging them to encourage their grand-children to go to school since money was no longer a problem.
President of the Association, Agbenu Amuzu said that the pension scheme is to improve the welfare of pensioners and encouraged active contributors to continue to contribute to the Scheme.
He, therefore, pleaded with the Board of SSNIT to expedite action on increasing the pensioners’ monthly allowances since it would go a long way to ensure that they live comfortably.
From Emmanuel Opoku, Takoradi