Latest update April 7th, 2025 6:08 AM
NIS remains callous and insensitive towards contributors – Chris Ram
Chartered Accountant and Attorney At Law, Christopher Ram is of the opinion that the National
Chartered Accountant, Christopher Ram
Insurance Scheme (NIS), even under the new Board, continues to move in a direction that holds no good future for contributors.
He said that NIS continues to shirk its responsibilities in many areas of operation. In this regard, Ram pointed out that the Act that governs NIS makes it necessary for the agency to provide and mail yearly statements to contributors. This is to keep them up to date with their contributions.
Ram said that NIS needs to be cleansed of its callousness and insensitivity. He said that there are those who would have contributed to the NIS for years, only to be told when they reach pensionable age that the records at NIS do not reflect their contributions.
The lawyer made reference to a letter he wrote that was published in one of the dailies.
In that letter, Ram indicated that he is currently, assisting two persons who applied for their NIS pension promptly on qualifying for their pensions on March 13, 2010 and April 14, 2011 respectively. The lawyer said that both persons maintained an excellent record of their employment and contributions and made their claims promptly.
“Yet, as long as six years after, one of them is still to receive his statutory benefits despite providing all kinds of information requested by the NIS and numerous visits to the NIS,” said Ram.
Ram said that there can be no possible just reason for pensioners to be denied their rights because of the failure of the NIS to pursue employers and to maintain proper records as the law requires it to do. The lawyer said that ironically, some of the employers of both persons were state entities.
Ram admitted that record-keeping problems at NIS go way back. He said however that the NIS is a continuing entity and, “difficult as it may seem,” it is the duty of the current Board and management to, fix the problems.
“Their inheritance of bad enforcement and recordkeeping may seem to them unfair, but measure that against the plight of contributors for whom the NIS pension is their lifeline,” said Ram.
The Accountant pointed out that the new NIS Board was appointed nearly one year ago. He said that Board members can no longer use the fault of the NIS to maintain records as the basis for delaying and denying statutory benefits to persons who contributed to the Scheme from their sometimes meagre earnings.
Ram told Kaieteur News that NIS Board needs to take the people’s concerns priority and make urgent interventions to right the wrongs.
Similar Articles
THE BLUNT OF THE DAY
Sports
Features/Columnists
Anticipation without preparation
Peeping Tom… Kaieteur News- The Vice President of Guyana, ever the sagacious observer of the inevitable, has reassured... more
The U.S. “Joining” the Commonwealth: an unreasonable expectation
By Sir Ronald Sanders Kaieteur News- Recent media stories have suggested that King Charles III could “invite” the United... more
Weekend Cartoon
