St Lucia makes one-off payment to public sector pensioners

CASTRIES, St Lucia, CMC – The St Lucia government has allocated EC$1.8 million for the disbursement of an EC$600 one-off payment to public sector pensioners.

A government statement said an estimated 3,105 pensioners will benefit from the payment in addition to their regular monthly pensions and that this initiative injects approximately EC$1.863 million collectively into the pockets of pensioners.

During the 2021-22 budget statement, Prime Minister Phillip J Pierre pledged a one-time payment of EC$500 to government pensioners, a commitment that was fulfilled in October last year when the government allocated EC$1.5 million towards the initiative.

The statement said that the government has initiated discussions on increasing monthly pensions for eligible St Lucian citizens, noting “this proactive step follows a 4.2 per cent increase granted to all pensioners under the National Insurance Corporation (NIS)”.

The statement said that last year, the government fulfilled a long-standing commitment, providing compensation to former employees of the cash-strapped regional airline, LIAT (1974) and a local garment factory.

It said that the compensation package was in excess of EC$6.3 million.

Follow The Gleaner on X, formally Twitter, and Instagram @JamaicaGleaner and on Facebook @GleanerJamaica. Send us a message on WhatsApp at 1-876-499-0169 or email us at onlinefeedback@gleanerjm.com or editors@gleanerjm.com.