Hundreds of retired soldiers who were recruited in 1983 Thursday stormed the premises of Parliament House and sought the intervention of the law makers to prevail on the government to re-compute their pension gratuity based on the Single Spine Pay Policy.
The group led by Warrant Officer Class One (WOI), Joseph Teye, in a petition appealed to the Parliamentary Select Committee on Defence and the Interior, to ensure that all monies owed them by the government are paid.
Their petition was received by the Chairman of the Committee, Fritz Baffour.
Mr. Baffour upon receipt of the petition assured the retired soldiers that his Committee will work hard to ensure that their grievances are heard.
WO1 later told journalists that the group was compulsorily retired from the service in 2010 at a time the Single Spine Salary Pay Policy had taken effect and the corresponding adjustment to salary and pension gratuity for soldiers being worked out by the Forces Pay Officer for implementation.
He said the when the group was paid, they later found out that immediate colleague soldiers (1984 to 1986) who retired at the rank of Staff Sergeant and below received more than those who had retired at the rank of WO1.
“Though there has been some minimal salary increment within the period after our release from the service, from 2010 to date which automatically affect the upward adjustment of the gratuity, the disparity in the pension gratuity paid to us and our immediate colleagues is worrying and we seek clarity in this matter,” he noted.
He added “we served a total of 26 years 338 days but the Forces Pay Officer used 25 years to calculate our pension benefits.”
According to him, the highest amount a retired WO1 received as gratuity was GHC 33, 008.34 and were later told that the anomaly would be corrected and enable them get what is due them when the computation of the Single Spine Salary Pay Structure for the Ghana Armed Forces is completed.
WO1 Teye said that promised never materialized and to their uttermost dismay their immediate colleagues (1984 to 1986) higher amounts of gratuities than those paid to them.
He said their checks have revealed the 1984-1986 years group was paid based on the Single Spine Salary Pay Policy.
He posited that although the Forces Pay Officer had explained that order for the calculation of their benefits came in 2009 when the old method was still in use, they hold a contrary view.
“We were compulsorily retired on November 18, 2010 by which time the Single Spine Pay Policy had taken effect and not in 2009, therefore, we disagree with the explanation by the Forces Pay Officer. We demand a re – computation of our gratuities based on the Single Spine Pay Policy,” he stated.
Later the Committee met with the Minister of Defence and some officials from the Ghana Armed Forces in a bid to address the plight of the retired soldiers.
By: Kasapafmonline.com/Ghana
