Dear Editor,
The letter by Mr Perry is quite revealing and raises the question, how can someone who was so instrumental in positively shaping the minds of so many at the University of Guyana receive such a pittance as a pension? My situation however is not dissimilar.
I was the Personnel and Industrial Relations Manager of a major company for ten years when I resigned after my status was significantly downgraded by the appointment of a Human Resource Manager. An appeal to the senior administration met with no response. In retrospect I should have sued them for constructive dismissal. Fortunately, the pension scheme in existence had provisions for a pension if you were over fifty years and had ten years service, so I qualified. That was in 1996.
However, when it was quantified my entitlement amounted to the princely sum of four thousand five hundred dollars which was subsequently increased to five thousand dollars.
So you see, Mr Perry was not singular in that respect, and I rather suspect there may be thousands of Guyanese receiving similar pittances as pension. It would be interesting to find out what pension sugar workers are receiving after providing back-breaking services.
I believe that all pension schemes should establish a minimum pension based on some system of reasonableness, like the NIS and Public Service.
To receive such pittance as a pension is a national disgrace – but then, who cares?
Yours faithfully,
D Sookdeo
