The Ghana Railway
Pensioners Association (GRPA) under the Cap. 30 pension scheme have appealed to
the government to pay all pension arrears due them following the recent
increment in public sector salary.
Government on the 1st January 2017 and 1st January 2019
announced a 12 and a half and 10 per cent separate salary increases in the
public sector wage bill.
Per the two salary public sector increases as announced by
government, pensioners under the Cap 30 in the public sector were also to enjoy
the automatic corresponding increment in their pension salary.
Interestingly, two years after the public sector salary
increment, Railway pensioners under the cap 30 have yet to enjoy the increment
reflect on their pensions.
In a statement issued and signed by the Chairman of the
Railway Pensioners Association, Mr. Francis Koomson, Samuel Baidoo, General
Secretary and Robert Johnson, Treasurer, the association called on the
government to speedily pay all pension arrears due them from last two years
since increases in public sector wage was announced.
Giving background into the story, the press statement said in
accordance with Government Standing Order as contained in the Controller and
Accountant General Circular with Reference CAG/Adm.3035/95/40 and dated the
11th September 1995, the Railway Cap 30 Pensioners under the Public institution
would enjoy pension increases as and when serving officers (workers) were
granted increases in salaries.
What this means is that, whenever there was a salary increase
for serving officers (workers), the increases would reflect on the salary of
pensioners of Railway under Cap 30. The statement added that on the 1st July
2017, active serving workers of Ghana Railway were granted 35% increment in
salary by the government.
On 1st January, 2017, and again on 1st January 2019,
government announced a 10% and 12 and a half per cent salary increment
respectively for public sector workers.
Considering the CAGD Circular as explained above, two
separate salary increment for public sector workers should automatically
correspond in the salary of pensioners.
The statement said though the two salary increment had
reflected in the salary of other pensioners under same Cap 30 from other public
sectors, same could not be said of Railway pensioners under same cap 30.
Read
the full statement below
PRESS
STATEMENT
UNFAIR
TREATMENT OF RAILWAY PENSIONERS UNDER CAP 30 by our former employer and
government
17-06-19
The executives of the Ghana Railway Cap 30 pensioners
Association wish to issue this press statement to highlights what we consider
as an unfair treatment being meted out to members of the Ghana Railway Cap 30
Pensioners Association by our former employer- Ghana Railway Company Limited
(GRCL) and the government of Ghana.
Cap 30 in accordance with the Government Standing Order as
contained in the Controller and Accountant General Circular Ref:
CAG/Adm.3035/95/40 dated 11th September, 1995, the Railway Cap 30. Pensioners
under Public Institutions will enjoy pension’s increases as and when serving
officers were granted increases in salaries.
In effect, whenever there is a salary increase for serving
officers, it should reflect on the salary of pensioners of Railways under Cap
30. In 2017, 1st July, active serving officers of Ghana Railway Workers were
granted 35% increment in salary.
By the standing orders as contained in the Controller and
Accountant circular, the 35% increases in salary of active serving officers
should reflect in the salary of pensioners under Cap 30.
Our counterpart on Cap 30 in other Public sector was, on the
other hand, granted 12 and a half per cent increase by government with effect
from 1st January 2017 and again 10% increase with effect from 1st January 2019.
Interestingly, neither of the two increments (35% and 12 and half %)
respectively had reflected in the salary of pensioners under Ghana Railway Cap
30 scheme to date.
This development compelled the executives of the Ghana
Railway Pensioners Association to find out from the Controller and Accountant
General why the two increments have not reflected in our pensions.
Our enquiry revealed that the government of Ghana through the
Ministry of Finance had directed the Controller and Accountant General not to
pay increment to Railway pensioners under Cap 30 when there is salary increment.
Government according to the Controller and Accountant General
Department had directed that due to fiscal constraints, Government would no
longer be able to absorb the pensions of retired staff of public institutions
who negotiate salary increments higher than what has been granted the Public
sector.
Henceforth, such institutions are to pay the monthly pensions
of their retired staff. Attach is the Controller and Accountant General circular.
Following this and in our attempt to comply with the government directive, we
petitioned our sector Minister, Hon. Joe Ghartey, Minister of Railway
Development on the 30th November 2017 to seek audience with him over the
directive as contained in the Circular.
The sector Minister did not respond to our petition. We then
petitioned the president of the Republic, Nana Akufo Addo in a letter dated
15th June 2018.
We did not hear from the two so we went ahead and petitioned
the Managing Director of Ghana Railway Company Limited, our former employer to
grant us audience for a meeting to deliberate on the new Controller and
Accountant General directive.
This petition was dated 12th December 2018. To date, neither
our former employer-Ghana Railway, the Railway Sector Minister nor the
President has responded to our petition.
At a meeting held with the entire membership of the Railway
Pensioners under Cap. 30 Association on the 6th of June 2019, the meeting came
to the conclusion and resolved as follows:
We requested that all Railway Cap 30 pensioners under the
Public Institutions should be treated equally with other pensioners in public
sector as far as increases in pensions are concern.
By that, we are appealing to Government through the media to
pay us all the arrears based on the 12 and a half per cent and the 10% increase
granted all Cap 30 pensioners in the Public Sector.
Francis Koomson ………………………… Chairman (0243652023)
Francis Baidoo …………………… General Secretary (0277742165)
Robert Kobina Johnson ………………………………… (Treasurer) 0246793415
Source: Ghanaweb.com
