Retired Public Officers Demand Unpaid Benefits After 30-Year Wait

A group of retired public officers took to the streets to demand long-overdue benefits, nearly 30 years after they were denied salary increments. Speaking on behalf of the demonstrators, Lisbeth Castillo, interim vice president of the Association of Beneficiaries and Retired Public Officers, said the protest aimed to raise public awareness and urge the government to take immediate action.

“We are here to raise awareness to the public and to send a message to the Prime Minister and those who are in authority that it’s been nearly 30 years that we have been waiting for monies that are justly ours.,” Castillo stated.

Between 1995 and 1997, public officers did not receive their annual salary increments. Instead, the government at the time invested the withheld funds into retail shares, which have since accrued significant dividends. The affected retirees argue that their pensions were calculated using incorrect salary figures, leading to financial losses over the years.

“We were promised that years ago when they were able we were going to sit at the table, the calculations would have been done, and people were going to get what is justly theirs. Now what has happened is that all persons from that time onwards who have retired have really retired, and their pensions have been calculated at a wrong salary.”

The group is pressing for the immediate disbursement of their rightful funds, stressing the urgency given their advancing age. “We have retired BDF soldiers, we have ex-policemen, we have public officers, teachers, nurses, and everybody really who has been paid by the public purse, which is actually the government, and who were affected at that time. Now that’s an important point we want to make: only persons who were affected for those two years are to benefit from this trust, not the public service as it is today. Not everybody, as a lot of people have been saying, because what has really happened is a lot of public offices that have not been beneficiaries have been benefiting from our money with loans and different things,” Castillo added.

Meanwhile, another member told News Five, “Many of us have died waiting, and we are still here fighting for what is rightfully ours… This has happened under both red and blue governments, yet nothing has changed.”

The group has participated in numerous meetings over the years, hoping for a resolution, but progress remains slow. “It’s frustrating now. We are hoping they will respect us and finally do something about it—because they can,” the protester emphasised.

The retirees vow to keep fighting. “The fight continues, and I will not stop. Even if I have to be here in a wheelchair with my walking stick, I will be here.”

The retirees argue that the government has long mismanaged their funds, prioritising other interests over their rightful payments. “It is easy for the government to spend people’s money their way for their own interests,” the protester added.

As the group persists in demanding action, they call on the government to honour its commitment and release the funds before more beneficiaries pass away without receiving what they are owed.