Pensioners threaten to drag SSNIT to court

The Pensioners Association of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) is threatening to drag the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) to court over unpaid single spine pension salary and the arrears.

It has given the Trust up to the end of this month to meet its demand or face legal action.

The pensioners had earlier held a protest march in Kumasi and presented a petition to the SSNIT Area Office in Kumasi.

They carried placards with messages like “Brazil Olympic supporters are not more important than us”, “We can’t pay our high electricity bills”, “SSNIT stop robbing your parents” and “Pensioners are dying”.

Nana Ohene Mensah, Chairman of the Association, said they found it difficult to rationalize why more than four years into retirement, they had not been paid their single spine pension salary and the arrears.

He said SSNIT had kept breaking promises to pay what was legitimately due them and that they had run out of patience and could no longer wait.

“We are giving SSNIT up to June 30, to pay all what is due us including the interest accrued at the Bank of Ghana Treasury Bill rate”, he added.

The group is made up of former workers of the Crops Research Institute, Soil Research Institute, Building and Road Research Institute, Forest Research Institute of Ghana and the Savannah Agricultural Research Institute.

Mr. Frank Mobila, Area Manager of SSNIT, who received their petition called for calm and gave the assurance that they would act to resolve the matter.