Employees of Statutory Boards are entitled to receive a pension after being employed for ten (10) or more years. However, in accordance with Section 32 A (1) of the Statutory Boards Pensions Act, Cap. 384, persons who were employed with Boards after September 1975 and are entitled to receive a pension shall have that pension reduced by the amount of pension payable by the National Insurance Office when this latter pension becomes due. It should be noted that those persons who were employed with the Boards prior to September 1975 would be entitled to a pension from the Board and the National Insurance Office without any reduction.

Our investigations revealed that the Statutory Boards have not been reducing the pensions of its former employees as required by the Law. This has resulted in these retirees receiving payments to which they are not entitled.

Auditor General’s Report 2011

Statutory Boards because of an oversight – BU suggests negligence -has resulted in several retirees receiving pension monies to which they have not been entitled over many years. One would have thought the error having been discovered should have been corrected forthwith. However the matter has become smothered in politics like most issues in Barbados. With a general election on the horizon the government is likely to not endear itself to pensioners who have had one pension cancelled.

Mia Mottley in her response to the Budget promised  to return the two pensions. Implied in the promise by Motley: should the Barbados Labour Party (BLP) assume the next government the Statutory Boards Pensions Act, Cap. 384 will be amended.

It is interesting we have not had more debate about this issue. In effect the BLP has promised to legitimize the illegal pension payments by Statutory Boards to those employed post-1975.

BU compares the BLP’s position on this matter to when government amended the Judicature Act to clear the way for CJ Marston Gibson’s appointment.