14th May 2023 11:10:57 AM
2 mins readWith effect from Monday, May 15, 2023, members of the Pensioner Bondholders Forum will cease picketing at the Finance Ministry.
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This follows an agreement made between the forum and the Finance Ministry over payment on outstanding principal and coupons to the former.
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A statement issued by the convener of the forum, Dr. Adu Anane Antwi on Saturday said among other things, the parties agreed that the Ministry would give instruction for the payment of all outstanding coupons (including those due on 15th May 2023) to pensioners by 15th May 2023.
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Other issues agreed on were that the Ministry would pay subsequent coupons to pensioners on due days. Also, the Ministry and Pensioner Bondholders will in the next few days, meet and reach agreement on the payment of all outstanding principals to pensioners.
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Despite reaching a common ground, the pensioners have pledged to resume picketing once again should the ministry renege on its word as done previously.
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Last week, dozens of aged citizens picketed at the Finance Ministry as part of efforts to get government pay what is due them. They chanted patriotic songs and held placards with inscriptions that communicated their displeasure with how they are being treated by the government.
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Members of the Pensioner Bondholders Forum opted out of the government’s Domestic Debt Exchange Programme (DDEP) to aid its debt restructuring and were promised payments of their coupons and principals upon maturity, however due payments have on occasions delayed.
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The Finance Ministry on March 13, 2023, began processes to payment on matured bonds on 6th February and 13 February 2023, however, these monies are yet to hit the accounts of pensioners.
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For most pensioners, the delay in payment does not only affect them but their dependents as well. For many, they want back their hard earned money they are entitled to.
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“All we want is our monies to be paid. The Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, promised to give us our money, but up till now we have not received anything.
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“We are monitoring everything because we worked hard, there’s no way any of our monies will go unpaid that we will not track. We are not asking for any social services, we are asking for our money.
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“Please convey to the Finance Minister that he must keep his word and pay us. We wouldn’t be here if he had kept his promise,” an aggrieved pensioner told the media.
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