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More people to benefit from social security
Minister of Labour and Social Security, Pearnel Charles, has said that the government will be expanding its social security net to include citizens over 75 years, who are not benefiting from existing programmes, as well as the nation's poorest families.
The minister, who was speaking at a meeting with representatives of the Jamaica Confederation of Trade Unions (JCTU) recently, gave a commitment to continue to push for reforms to the pension system, while indicating an interest in the social protection programme being advocated by the JCTU, which will provide pension and health care benefits to all Jamaican workers.
"We have already started to look at pension for some people," he noted during the meeting held at the JCTU's Hope Boulevard headquarters in Kingston.
According to Mr. Charles, a number of persons, by virtue of the fact that they were unemployed when the National Insurance Scheme (NIS) was established or had not qualified on the basis that they were beyond the required age to contribute, are now not receiving a pension.
"None of those persons are now receiving pensions except where government instruction had brought on some of them. I have requested that an audit be done. Anybody over 75 who is not now receiving pension, I'll be proposing to present that before Cabinet," he told the meeting, noting that the age limit will be adjusted to accommodate persons found to be in need by the ministry's survey.
He indicated that no further disbursements will be made to new business under the NIS fund, until an actuarial report on the use of the funds has been made available to Cabinet. The findings in this report, he said, will be taken to Parliament.
Aid to kids
The Labour Minister, in the meantime, said that assistance will also be extended to children, who qualify for support under the Programme of Advancement Through Health and Education (PATH) but were not beneficiaries. Minister of State, Andrew Gallimore, has been given responsibility to review and upgrade PATH as well as the pension programme.
Lloyd Goodleigh, general secretary of the JCTU, underscored the urgency with which the government needs to tackle the pensions system, adding that many in the trained workforce had no incentive to stay and work in Jamaica in light of the unattractive pension scheme. "Unless we get a social protection system, nobody will stay in Jamaica," he said.
Minister of Labour and Social Security, Pearnel Charles, has said that the government will be expanding its social security net to include citizens over 75 years, who are not benefiting from existing programmes, as well as the nation's poorest families.
The minister, who was speaking at a meeting with representatives of the Jamaica Confederation of Trade Unions (JCTU) recently, gave a commitment to continue to push for reforms to the pension system, while indicating an interest in the social protection programme being advocated by the JCTU, which will provide pension and health care benefits to all Jamaican workers.
"We have already started to look at pension for some people," he noted during the meeting held at the JCTU's Hope Boulevard headquarters in Kingston.
According to Mr. Charles, a number of persons, by virtue of the fact that they were unemployed when the National Insurance Scheme (NIS) was established or had not qualified on the basis that they were beyond the required age to contribute, are now not receiving a pension.
"None of those persons are now receiving pensions except where government instruction had brought on some of them. I have requested that an audit be done. Anybody over 75 who is not now receiving pension, I'll be proposing to present that before Cabinet," he told the meeting, noting that the age limit will be adjusted to accommodate persons found to be in need by the ministry's survey.
He indicated that no further disbursements will be made to new business under the NIS fund, until an actuarial report on the use of the funds has been made available to Cabinet. The findings in this report, he said, will be taken to Parliament.
Aid to kids
The Labour Minister, in the meantime, said that assistance will also be extended to children, who qualify for support under the Programme of Advancement Through Health and Education (PATH) but were not beneficiaries. Minister of State, Andrew Gallimore, has been given responsibility to review and upgrade PATH as well as the pension programme.
Lloyd Goodleigh, general secretary of the JCTU, underscored the urgency with which the government needs to tackle the pensions system, adding that many in the trained workforce had no incentive to stay and work in Jamaica in light of the unattractive pension scheme. "Unless we get a social protection system, nobody will stay in Jamaica," he said.