(Kaieteur News) – A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) has thrown its support behind a court action by attorney Christopher Ram, a pensioner and three trade unions against the National Insurance Board (NIB), seeking to compel the payment of minimum old-age pensions at the rate prescribed by law and recover arrears allegedly owed since 2021.
The application for judicial review was filed on Friday by Ram, pensioner Kalicharan Heera, the Union of Agricultural and Allied Workers, the United Minibus Union and the Guyana Market Vendors Union.
General Manager of NIS, Holly Greaves
In a statement on Tuesday, APNU said at a time when the high cost of living continues to burden households, pensioners must receive every dollar to which they are legally entitled. It also said that it considers the legal action an important step in defending the rights, dignity and economic security of Guyana’s senior citizens.
“These payments are not acts of charity or government favours; they are entitlements protected by law,” APNU stressed.
The applicants are asking the court to declare that the minimum National Insurance Scheme (NIS) pension must be no less than 50% of the Public Service minimum wage, as stipulated under Regulation 4(b) of the NIS Benefit Regulations. They are also seeking an order compelling the board to pay the minimum pension at that rate, account for all outstanding payments since 2021 and settle the arrears with interest, including amounts owed to the estates of deceased pensioners.
According to the applicants, the lawful minimum pension currently stands at $51,173 monthly, but pensioners receiving the minimum benefit are being paid just $43,075, leaving a shortfall of $8,098 each month. They estimate that individuals who have received the minimum pension throughout the period since 2021 are owed approximately $510,300 each. Regulation 4(b) states that a pension shall “in no case” be less than 50% of the public service minimum wage.
“It is morally indefensible that in one of the world’s fastest-growing economies, elderly Guyanese should be forced to approach the courts to obtain pension payments to which they contend they are legally entitled. Guyana’s impressive GDP growth and expanding oil revenues must mean more than statistics, expensive infrastructure and government declarations of prosperity. They must translate into improved living standards, economic security and dignity for ordinary citizens,” APNU argued.
The party also outlined that the injustice was raised in parliament in 2024, when APNU Member of Parliament Annette Ferguson tabled a motion, seconded by Juretha Fernandes, MP, calling for retroactive payments to minimum-rate pensioners for the period 2021 to 2023.
Senior Minister with responsibility for Finance Dr. Ashni Singh
It reminded that the motion was disallowed by Speaker Manzoor Nadir, denying parliament the opportunity to properly address an issue affecting some of our most vulnerable citizens. Rather than facilitate parliamentary consideration and a resolution, the PPP/C administration allowed the matter to remain unresolved.
APNU outlined that NIS exists to provide social protection to contributors and beneficiaries, not to frustrate legitimate claims. The party further stated that government must ensure that statutory agencies comply with their legal mandates and are held accountable when they fail to discharge their responsibilities.
Moreover, the party called on government and the NIB to urgently review the claims, establish the full extent of any outstanding legal entitlements, promptly settle arrears found to be due, and implement safeguards against future underpayments.
APNU also said the necessary financial provisions must also be made to honor these obligations.
The party stressed that the men and women who built sustained this country’s economy through decades of hardship must not be forgotten amid today’s prosperity.
“Their sacrifices helped lay the foundation for Guyana’s present economic opportunities, and they deserve to share in the benefits,” the party noted, adding that every responsible government has a fundamental duty to safeguard the welfare of its elderly population.
APNU maintained that good governance cannot be measured solely by the construction of roads, bridges and buildings but must also be judged by how the poor, elderly and vulnerable are provided for in the national budget, how effectively their legal rights are protected, and whether public institutions faithfully discharge their statutory responsibilities.
It added that access to adequate food, healthcare, housing, transportation and financial security must be central to national development, particularly as rising prices continue to erode the purchasing power of retirees.
“Guyana cannot claim meaningful progress while its elderly struggle to survive. Economic growth without social justice is incomplete development, and prosperity that excludes those who sacrificed to build this nation is prosperity without fairness,” the party further stated.
Source: Kaieteur News
