To Whom It May Concern,

I am writing to highlight ongoing concerns regarding delays within the Treasury and the treatment of non-established workers upon retirement.

Recently, the Government announced that officials would be assigned to various Ministries to assist with processing invoices and other documents in an effort to speed up payments. However, many Permanent Secretaries and Heads of Departments have indicated that the root of the problem lies within the Treasury itself, where vouchers reportedly remain unprocessed for months, and in some cases, even years. There are also frequent complaints of documents being misplaced or lost.

A recent example illustrates this issue. A friend of mine, having reached retirement age, took his documents to the Treasury for processing. He was instructed to keep his documents and return with them on his birthday. This approach is both inefficient and unreasonable. One would expect the Treasury to retain the documents and simply request that he return on his birthday to collect his cheque. It also raises the question of why Ministries and Permanent Secretaries are not held accountable for ensuring that all necessary documentation is processed and payments delivered to employees by their retirement date, as is standard practice in statutory bodies and many private sector organizations.

My friend has since made multiple visits to the Treasury over several months, and it remains unclear whether he has received his payment. The perception is growing that, without connections within the system, individuals face significant delays in receiving what is rightfully theirs.

Equally concerning is the issue of retirement benefits for non-established workers. While the retirement age has been increased to 65, these workers are only compensated for 33⅓ years of service. This is deeply unfair. An individual who begins working at 18 and retires at 65 would have contributed approximately 47 years of service, yet is only paid for 33⅓ years, effectively losing compensation for 14 years of work.

This disparity is particularly troubling when compared to employees in organizations such as APUA, as well as teachers, police officers, civil servants, and other statutory bodies, who are compensated for their full years of service. Meanwhile, both the Government and the Antigua Trades and Labour Union have collected dues throughout these years but have remained silent on this matter.

These issues deserve urgent attention. Timely payment of retirees and fair compensation for all years worked are not privileges, but basic expectations of a just system.