HOLGUÍN, Cuba. – “I want to collect my retirement money, but they are not paying because there is no power,” says Eulalia Rodríguez, a woman who arrived at the Central Post offices in the city of Holguin in the early hours of the day in the hope of collecting their pension after a long wait. The clock reads 1:37 in the afternoon, and Rodríguez still has not received the money he is entitled to after years of work.
Like her, dozens of elderly people are in the same situation. The prolonged blackouts along with failure to meet payment dates due to lack of money have been obstacles in a process that, according to retirees, reflects disorganization and a lack of foresight by the Government.
The lack of order in the assignment of shifts also leaves many people unable to get paid.
Elena Ramos, who has also been on her feet for hours, remembers that this is not the first time she has faced problems collecting her pension. “First there was no money to pay retirees, and now it is because there is no electricity,” he laments.
Ángela Fuentes, another woman who has been trying to collect her pension for several days, says: “I came because I don’t have a cent, if not, I won’t come.”
The disorganization is evident, since shifts have been distributed for three days, and even so there is no guarantee that the elderly will be able to collect their pension. For Fuentes, a possible solution would be for Post Office employees to extend their work hours until the electrical service is restored. “But they say no,” he laments.
“This is an abuse with retirees: they have not paid, first because there was no money, and now because there is no electricity,” says Alba Santana. After long years of work, the possibility of collecting the pension that he worked so hard to obtain seems increasingly distant. “For us, who have worked for 25 and 30 years, they are not giving us that money, but we have to wait for a miracle to collect it,” he says.
Indignation spreads among the crowd: retiree Nilda Palacios confirms that the problem is due to disorganization on the part of the people in charge. “We are having trouble collecting the checkbook, it is an abuse,” he says. “This has happened several times and they always make the same mistakes, and we are the ones who pay the consequences,” he denounces.
Yolanda Rivero joins the chorus of critical voices, who regrets the mismanagement of the payment system. “We worked 25 and 30 years to accumulate that money and now they say that there is no money to pay us, that there is no current.”
The abandonment of the elderly in Holguín, according to Elsa Vargas, is one of the main reasons why young people choose to emigrate from the country. “I worked for 30 years and I don’t see the results, that’s why people are leaving the country,” he says.
The elderly do not know if they will be able to receive the payment at any time of the day. “And now, with the current problem“There is no schedule for payment,” says Elvira Herrera.
An ironic comment in the queue alludes to the absurdity of the situation. Santiago Herrera remembers how a neighbor approached and, seeing the crowd, asked if they were watching for someone. He responded with bitter humor: “No, my son, this is not the funeral home, this is the Post Office and we are waiting for our pension to be paid.”
