Retired workers evicted after ignoring deadline

By JUNIOR UKAHA
SIX retired Works Department (DoW) officers and their families in Lae were evicted from their houses on Wednesday after they refused to move out by the deadline over Easter.
The officers had retired last year and were told to find their own accommodation so the government accommodation could be used to house working officers.
Armed policemen and DoW officers entered their compound at about 10am and put all their belongings outside the house and changed the locks to the doors on Wednesday.
The families of Noine Gape, Willie Ipako, Yakap Ika, William Pet, Kelly Zorika and Graham Kunsei had to spend the night in the cold outside.
The retired officers were waiting for their Nambawan Super government component before they vacated the government accommodation.
Spokesperson Gape said 14 of them were retired by the government last year because they had reached the retirement age of 65 but they were not paid their superannuation benefits promised by the government.
“It is a legal requirement that the government will settle this 8.4 per cent they are supposed to pay us before we leave,” Gape said.
“All of us, the retirees, are still waiting for this payment. However, yesterday (Wednesday) armed policemen and Works officials came and forced us out of our houses.
“They threw our belongings outside and locked the doors.
Gape, 65, from Ana village in the Morobe local- level government area, worked as the regional plant clerk for DoW for 33 years until his retirement last year.
He described the action of the police and Works officials as harsh and inhumane.
“We are not criminals living in this compound. We are retired officials who have dedicated our lives to serve the government and people for so many years,” he said.
Morobe Works manager Kingsford Kassen, however, said the affected officers were given ample time to move out but they deliberately disobeyed instructions.
Kassen said they were no longer employees of the department and as such had no rights to live in government accommodation.