NIS ENCOURAGES ‘PEOPLE TO STAY HOME AND NOT WORK’
There needs to be a completely new approach to the National Insurance Scheme (NIS) and what it does for unemployed Barbadians, a Government back-bencher told the House of Assembly yesterday.
Denis Kellman, Member of Parliament for St. Lucy is convinced that the current way the NIS is used only encourages Barbadians to be non-productive. He made the comment while adding to the debate after the second reading of the national Insurance and Social Security Amendment Bill, 2010.
The bill, when passed, will allow Barbadians businesses to apply to the NIS department to have employee contributions deferred for five years, as a loan, with three per cent interest, once their payments to the NIS are not in arrears.
“The NIS in its original format was tailored for people to stay home and not seek work,” Kellman told the Lower Chamber.
“Instead of encouraging people to become productive, we encouraged them not to be productive anymore,” Kellman said, adding that Barbadians waiting on their 26 weeks’ worth of contributions had become addicted to watching soap operas on television, instead of seeking ways to develop themselves for getting back into the work force.
“I’ve always said we need to change that approach. I believe they should be paid a lump sum, but at the same time be encouraged to get back into the job circuit,” said Kellman.
He claimed that what made matters worse was that emigrants had been also attracted to Barbados’ job market, filling a number of vacancies once occupied by the workers who were willing to wait and accept 26 weeks’ worth of unemployment contributions.
“In the long run, the only thing that suffers is the country, Kellman added. (BA) (Midweek Nation)