Tema, Oct.20, GNA - Management of the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) has paid the highest monthly pension of 66.8 million cedis to a contributor of the scheme.

Mr Theodore Frederick Ohene, Tema Area Manager of the Trust who announced this did not mention the name of the pensioner, but said another pensioner was paid as low as 125,000 cedis. He was speaking at a day's seminar for employers and social security schedule officers at Tema on Wednesday.

The seminar to educate both employers and employees on their responsibilities towards the scheme was under the theme "Assisting SSNIT to ensure prompt processing and payment of benefits." Mr Ohene who spoke on the topic "Employers Obligation/Responsibilities under the PNDC Law 247," said 1.2 billion cedis had also been paid as the highest survivor's benefit to an individual.

The Area Manager said between January to September this year, 268 defaulters were recorded within the Tema Area comprising Osu, Teshie-Nungua, Tema Harbour, Community Two, Tema East and Denu in the Volta Region.

He said the defaulters had been put before the law courts, and 250 out of the cases fell under criminal proceedings. Mr Ohene urged employers to pay promptly their employees' contributions to the scheme, because failure to pay would jeopardize the future of their workers when they went on retirement. Speaking on the topic "New Image of SSNIT", Mr Kwaku Osei Bimpong, Head of Public Affairs Department of the Trust, observed that the best challenge facing SSNIT as an institution was on the payment of contributors' pensions.

Mr Bimpong noted that workers of the Trust should not only strive to provide excellent service standards based on world class, but should also work towards achieving an ideal image for the scheme. He said in addition to organizing training programmes for SSNIT employees to ensure that "they are at the top of their jobs", public education for contributors was being intensified to make them understand and appreciate their obligations towards the scheme.

Mrs Adwoa Abebrese, Community Two Branch Manager of SSNIT spoke on the topic "Poor Data Management and its Effects on Claims Processing".

She pointed out that accurate data formed the bedrock of success of SSNIT operations, and therefore urged contributing institutions to endeavour to furnish the scheme with accurate information, adding, "100 per cent data efficiency is our target."

Mrs Abebrese stressed the need for easy pension administration, adding, "Together, SSNIT, the employer and the employee administer the scheme."

Mr Richard Ampadu, Operations Co-ordinator of SSNIT, said the Trust was determined to live up to the expectations of the Social Security Law, PNDC Law 247 of 1991, by ensuring that the scheme's valued customers enjoyed better pensions on retirement.