A number of retirees have called on the Public Pension Agency to improve their financial situation.

They told Arab News they should be included in annual salary increases and should also be a part of the social security system. They explained that both were important in enabling them to maintain an acceptable living standard taking into consideration the increasing cost of living.

As more demands come to the agency, retired people have praised its role, saying it did everything possible to provide services that eased their lives.

Mohammed Abu Al-Jadayel, a retiree from Saudi Arabian Airlines, agrees. He says the agency has given the best services throughout his 10 years of retirement. “I asked the agency for an affidavit proving my status and salary so that I could apply to the Spanish Embassy for a visa, and I got the paper in five minutes,” he told Arab News.

He makes the same request as his colleagues as he says that rising prices call for a 5 percent annual increase, plus extra support in Ramadan as well as exemptions from paying services fees and traffic fines, and a provisions card to be renewed annually.

Jamal Shata, another employee who retired from Saudi Arabian Airlines, said the process of obtaining a retiree card went very smoothly in his case and he hopes that this is the case with all retired people.

Abdullah Al-Tanumi, a retiree from the Interior Ministry, asked the Public Pension Agency to utilize the experience of retired people and benefit from their expertise. He called on the agency to include retirees in the social security system with a salary of SR5,000 and to give them priority in distributing housing units as well as establishing sports clubs for them in different areas.

Mahmoud Jahlan, who is the legal guardian of his grandmother, said his experience with the agency has been very positive. “I went to the agency to update her data and provide documents proving that my grandmother was still alive after her money stopped coming into her bank account.” He said he was amazed at the speed and efficiency of the process.

Mohammed Al-Asmari, on the other hand, had a bad experience with the agency. Retired for three years from the Interior Ministry, he criticized the way some agency employees dealt with him as they never solved his problem.

“I received SR12,013 as a monthly salary and when I retired I was surprised to receive only SR5,097 which is SR1,060 less than it should have been,” he explained to Arab News. He added that his years of service at the Interior Ministry amounted to 29 years and six months. “I will file a complaint with the Board of Grievances to ask for the difference and dues,” he said.