Dear Editor,
There are pensioners who contribute fifteen years and more to the public service and do not receive a pension for those years. There is this outdated pension policy that states if you resign instead of retire, you forfeit your right to a pension. People resign for valid reasons ‒ victimization, hostile working conditions etc.
Someone may be employed in the public service for twenty years and have resigned his position because of victimization. Another person retires at fifty-five after spending ten years in the public service, and receives a pension. The President described people retiring at fifty-five years as ridiculous. I wonder how he would describe the current pension policy?
There are a few companies around who pay their employees a pension after serving ten years, whether they retire or resign. There was a Commission of Inquiry into the public service in 2015. Recommendations were made in relation to the retirement age and the current pension policy, but three years later nothing has changed. The government mission statement is a good life for everyone. However, it is not possible to have a god life if your current pension is under the minimum wage.
Yours faithfully,
(Name and address provided)
