Accra, April 25, GNA - The Ghana Government Pensioners' Association has appealed to the Minister of Finance and Economic Planning to ask the Controller and Accountant-General to pay members all monies due them. They said in a letter to the Minster and copied to the GNA on Monday that they wanted their arrears of October 2002 to April 2003 to be paid this month, "otherwise the pensioners will have to advise themselves".

The statement said at a meeting with the Acting Controller and Accountant General, Mr E. Ofosuhene on March 15, they were informed that the budgetary allocation for payment of pensioners from October 2002 to date was 969 billion cedis.

They said they were demanding arrears from October 2002 to April 2003, on-going salary adjustment of 50 per cent, non-payment of the 2004 and 2005 increases in pension.

The Association expressed regret that promises made by the Controller and Accountant General to effect payment were never fulfilled and appealed to the government to fulfil its promise of payment to members.