BASSETERRE, St. Kitts (SKNIS) – The Government of St. Kitts and Nevis will host a special event on Thursday, July 25, 2024, at 8:30 a.m., to mark the commencement of the payment of pensions to deserving retired Government Auxiliary Employees (GAEs), bringing significant and immediate financial relief to hundreds of persons.
As part of its assigned duties, the Pension Reform Task Force prioritised the pension payments to GAEs who retired after May 2012, underscoring the commitment of the Honourable Dr. Terrance Drew-led government to rectify the injustice of the former Team Unity Administration which discontinued the end-of-tenure gratuity that rewarded this classification of workers for their years of service.
“Instead of helping the GAE workers they made it harder for them. These are the persons who are the crossing guards, the environmental workers, your messengers, drivers, technicians and so forth. They did not have a guarantee of a pension,” said Prime Minister Drew, during a live appearance on Freedom FM’s Issues SKN programme on Tuesday, July 23, 2024.
Dr. Drew further explained that, “Before 2021 [GAEs] used to get a gratuity that was calculated using a favourable formula to them. The then [Team Unity] administration used a different formula and cut their gratuity by two-thirds. So for example, if they were to get $100, they cut it down to $33.33—a third of what they used to get before 2021,” Dr. Drew explained.
To qualify for the pension payments, Government Auxiliary Employees must be at least 62 years old and have contributed a minimum of fifteen years of service.
“On the 25th of July, the GAE workers who are qualified will receive their pensions. We have triggered the law and so their pension payments will start. We will back pay them to January 2024, because the commitment was made for 2024, and so hundreds are going to benefit now, and of course a few thousands over time,” Prime Minister Drew said, noting that he feels a sense of pride in knowing that his government is able to facilitate this compassionate act of ensuring GAEs receive exactly what they worked for over the years.
The pension payments will commence with a selected number of GAEs at the event on Thursday in front of Government Headquarters, with other payments being made after.
Pension query forms will then be available at Government Headquarters and at the Accountant General Department at the Treasury Department to address any concerns.