The Concerned SSNIT Pensioners Forum has rejected the Social Security and National Insurance Trust’s (SSNIT) 10 per cent pension increase, saying the adjustment falls short of ensuring fairness and dignity for retirees grappling with rising living costs.
Speaking on ABC In The Morning, the Co-Chair of the Forum, Alhaji Fuseini Abdulai Braimah, said pensioners are not demanding luxury but a fair system that reflects the realities on the ground, insisting the current increment does little to ease the hardship faced by many retired workers.
He argued that SSNIT must go beyond technical calculations and apply a humane approach in the treatment of pensioners, noting that many retirees are struggling to meet basic needs such as food, healthcare and housing.
Alhaji Braimah disclosed that the Forum is proposing GH₵600 per month as the minimum pension, explaining that while the figure may not be ideal, it provides a reasonable starting point. “Six hundred cedis per month is not the best, but it is where we can start from at least,” he said.
He criticised SSNIT for relying largely on inflation figures when determining annual pension increases, stressing that adjustments should be based on the actual living conditions of pensioners. According to him, once workers retire, they are often treated as though they are no longer part of the system they helped to build. “Once you go on pension, it’s as if you are no longer part of the system. SSNIT does not see us as the owners of the institution,” he stated.
The Forum also called for stronger engagement between SSNIT and pensioners, arguing that regular dialogue would help address grievances and improve trust. “There should be engagements between SSNIT and pensioners. We think SSNIT can do better,” Alhaji Braimah added.
Beyond immediate pension adjustments, the group is demanding radical structural reforms within SSNIT to enhance accountability and transparency. As part of these reforms, Alhaji Braimah said the Trust should periodically appear before Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee to answer questions on its operations.
He further revealed that some pensioners have waited up to three years without receiving their Tier 2 lump-sum payments, describing the situation as unacceptable and a major source of hardship for affected retirees.
“The pensioners are suffering,” he stressed, urging SSNIT and policymakers to act decisively to ensure fairness and restore dignity to Ghana’s pension system.
