AFC supports court challenge seeking clarity and compliance on NIS pensions

The Alliance For Change (AFC) supports Christopher Ram, pensioner Kalicharan Heera and the trade unions that have brought the National Insurance Board before the High Court over the statutory minimum for NIS old-age pensions.  The applicants are asking the Court to determine whether Regulation 4(b) requires the minimum pension to be no less than 50 per cent of the Public Service minimum wage, and whether pensioners have been underpaid since 2021. These are serious claims. They deserve a clear answer through the proper legal process.

The figures presented by the applicants indicate that, using the 2026 Public Service minimum wage of $102,346, the minimum pension would be $51,173 a month. The published NIS minimum pension is $43,075. The applicants say this represents a shortfall of $8,098 a month and estimate that some pensioners may be owed approximately $510,300. The Court must determine the correct interpretation of the law, who is affected, and what sums, if any, are due.

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The AFC’s position is straightforward: the rule of law must be upheld. Public authorities must act within the Constitution and the laws made under it. Where a law establishes a benefit or a minimum payment, that requirement cannot be set aside, delayed or treated as optional through administrative practice.