One-off cash grant is a plan for robbery unless NIS fixes contribution statements

Apr 14, 2025 Letters

Dear Editor,

Mr. Sasenarine Singh, Guyana’s Ambassador to Belgium and the most successful CEO of Guysuco, thinks the National Insurance Scheme’s “one-off cash grant” announced by the President will bring closure, particularly for sugar workers (SN, April 12, 2025). Writing from afar, this fella argues that something is better than nothing. He says, “One is always greater than zero”. In other words, Mr. Singh is saying take the President’s deal or you will get larwah.

Did the NIS and actuary make these recommendations on one-time payments? Is Mr. Singh okay with workers signing away all their rights by accepting the President’s payments? Sase needs to answer, under his watch, how many GUYSUCO workers’ contributions were fixed, since sugar workers’ contributions were the most screwed up. When workers signed up for NIS and were paying contributions, they expected NIS to do their statutory duty of maintaining proper records and monitoring employers. Clearly, NIS has failed in its duty to many people. The PPP has been in power for 27 of the past 32 years, and the PNC also did nothing to fix this problem. Many people have died without receiving NIS benefits because they were given the royal runaround. So, Mr. Singh, those who died have gotten their “closure.” They don’t have to deal with GUYSUCO and NIS anymore. And many are close to that kind of closure, too. Many of these are poor, rural PPP supporters, including many sugar workers.

The problem many people have is that NIS is missing a full record of their contributions. They are missing 5 years for me and 1 year from my 90-year-old cousin. Unless NIS resolves what to do in cases where people are missing contributions, especially those who NIS says have 740-749, there will be no justice in this matter. The VP said that everywhere they go, people tell them of NIS problems, yet there is no serious plan to fix the root cause. Sase, there will be no “closure.” People will feel cheated by a government they voted for. Without NIS reconciling its records, workers will be placed in a lower band for the one-time payment. If the Government is going by the number of contributions NIS has in its records, you are in effect, robbing people, for those who claim NIS records are inaccurate. Judge Damone Younge, in her well-reasoned decision in the Zainul case, lashed the NIS. It was reported that “Justice Younge in her ruling … made it clear that an applicant should not be made to suffer for failure on the part of NIS and employers to reconcile their records or to have an accurate record of the contributions made by an applicant—or for the failure of employers to pay over their employees’ contributions to the insurance scheme. In fact, the Judge in no uncertain terms blasted the NIS, which she said has become “notorious” for inaccurate and incomplete contribution records which are ultimately unreliable.” (Carpenter wins NIS pension in landmark ruling, SN, Nov. 29, 2023).

Here are excerpts from the blogs: Sachin said, “This is an unjust offer to those persons within the 740 to 749 contributions. They will receive a one-off payment of $650,000. The person, for example, who is short by 1 contribution to be eligible for the minimum pension of $45,000 per month, with a life expectancy of 75 years, would have received approximately $8,000,0000. Whereas the one-off payment is equivalent to just 14 months of minimum pension. This is another poorly crafted payment. With all that money around, time for them to fix NIS contribution problem once and for all.”

Fmguycan said, “People who contributed above 745 to 749 should qualify for a partial minimum NIS pension if the cause for the default can be considered under humanitarian and compassionate circumstances beyond their control. It is heart-wrenching for anyone, through no fault of theirs, to be denied a monthly pension when there was diligence on their part. The one-time payment by the President is considerate, but more needs to be done.”

Guyanese said, “Imagine you earn a salary of $100,000 per month (using an average here) and your contribution to NIS is $5,600 monthly. Not counting the employer’s contribution. So, you make 500 contributions or $2,800,000 to get back $260,000. No wonder people don’t want to make NIS payments.” So I say the “one-off” cash grant is a plan for robbery unless NIS fixes contribution statements. Mr. President, please do it.

Sincerely,

Dr. Jerry Jailall

Civil Society Advocate

Latest News

One-off cash grant is a plan for robbery unless NIS fixes contribution statements

Related

Similar Articles

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

The Glenn Lall Show|| April, 14th, 2025

Follow on Tik Tok @Glennlall

THE BLUNT OF THE DAY

Sports

Beckford brace Slingerz to fourth win on the trot, as Santos topple...

West Indies Women’s World Cup hopes in jeopardy...

GCC, Ogle, East Bank among winners as Demerara...

Unbeaten GCA storm to 2025 title

Tucber Park Cricket Club receives cricket gear...

Young guns flourish at Moo! National Junior’s...

Features/Columnists

Of Silk and Steel

Collaborative Government–Private Sector Action Imperative for a Resilient Trade Future

Rogue cops – only a few around

Publisher’s Note

Weekend Cartoon

Bridge Watch

Demerara Harbour Bridge

> Berbice Bridge […]

One-off cash grant is a plan for robbery unless NIS fixes contribution statements

Share this:

Related

Similar Articles

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

The Glenn Lall Show|| April, 14th, 2025

Follow on Tik Tok @Glennlall

THE BLUNT OF THE DAY

Sports

Features/Columnists

Publisher’s Note

Weekend Cartoon

Bridge Watch

Demerara Harbour Bridge

> Berbice Bridge […]