Pensioners to benefit from new payment systems

Georgetown : Pensioners are soon to benefit from new methods of monthly pension payment through new initiatives forged by the Guyana Post Office Corporation (GPOC).

The GPOC is in transformational mode and is working closely with the Ministry of Public Telecommunications (MoPT) to strengthen the corporation’s relationship with the public. Part of this initiative is directly geared at improving the lives of pensioners.

Minister of Public Telecommunications, Catherine Hughes, told members of the media that “the corporation and its predecessors have been in existence for more than 200 years, and that is way too long to be doing the same thing the same way.”

The Minister added that in this age of technology the GPOC has been modernising their old systems and introducing new ways and angles of conducting business.

The GPOC is also conducting research regarding the implementation of a debit card system that will allow for the direct transference of pensioners’ monthly funds into a bank account, to avoid the hassle of waiting hours in line.

Additionally, Minister Hughes made mention of the pensioner who, only last month, was struck down while on her way to collect her monthly pension and expressed her regret and condolences towards the painful incident.

“We are all aware of instances where we’ve had pensioners robbed…those kinds of incidents are painful for the GPOC… and I want to urge pensioners to embrace the current payment systems that we have… for the pensioners who had a bank account throughout their working years we want to encourage them to sign up at their local post office to have their pension paid directly to their bank account,” Hughes added.

Later this month, the Public Telecommunications Minister will be meeting with the Bankers Association in an attempt to share ideas and get them on board as the GPOC attempts to be able to provide new payment systems to benefit pensioners.

Minster Hughes assured the media that the GPOC and her ministry are working assiduously to ensure that all their plans are implemented before the end of 2018 and that the current archaic system is renewed.