Since the Hon Chief Minister Reuben Meade sat with Editor Bennette Roach of The Montserrat Reporter (TMR) in the ZJB studios on Wednesday, December 1, 2010 and responded to questions, primarily regarding the matter where ZJB’s manager had been asked for an apology and the economy, the Editor has been accosted and received calls from several persons, past public servants.
The question has been mostly, “how come you did not ask the Chief Minister about the Social Security pension payments that have ceased from November?” The response from the editor has been, “I knew nothing about that.”
The issue as stated in the letter dated November 12, 2010 from Kenneth Scotland, Director of the Social Security Fund, is the non-payment by Government of Social Security contribution payments for all Civil Servants for the period July 1, 1986 to December 31, 2003.
This issue is a sore one and public observation is that the island is split on the matter. It has also been of much concern to the British and Montserrat Government, since some civil servant pensioners can be on the receiving end of monthly pension payments totaling more than their last monthly salary. The issue has been one that has affected the budgetary aid received from Britain.
Director Kenneth Scotland told TMR that it is simply impossible to continue the payments unless the Government makes good its obligation to the Fund by paying the outstanding balance owing.
TMR has been unable to get a comment before press time on the matter from GoM.
Meanwhile current public servants are expressing some nervousness as of Tuesday they had not received word as to when they will get their December salary which is normally paid by Dec. 23.
See text of letter from Social Security Fund below:
