BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – PRIME MINISTER the Right Honourable Dr. Denzil L. Douglas says his government has not reneged on its plans to lessen the seven-year disparity which currently exists between the government retirement age and the age at which one becomes pensionable under the national pension scheme.
“The government has stated - as a policy - that it would increase the pension age. In fact, what ideally we would like to do is to bring the government pension age to the same level as the national pension age that is being pursued at the Social Security Board level that is age 62.
“In fact, the new Public Service Act speaks to the increase in the pension age. That aspect of it, in terms of the regulations associated with the act to bring that specific clause or section on intention into being, I need to update myself about it before I can give any further response. But let me say that it is the stated policy of the government to increase the pension age from 55 to at least 62. If not 60, 62,” Dr. Douglas explained during Tuesday’s (Jan. 17) edition of his radio programme, Ask the PM.
The leader of St. Christopher and Nevis noted that minimising or even eliminating the gap between the ages would allow for citizens to “continue to live a decent life after he would have retired from the public service”.
Another factor which weighs on the government’s minds, he indicated, is the fact that people are acquiring their homes later in their lives “because of the challenges, and so we would want to make sure that even when they would have attained a pensionable age, they are still able to work and pay on their mortgages. And that is why it becomes more important to look at the extension of the pension age”.
He said discussions were also held with the Pension Commission established by the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank to ensure that “there is also a regional approach to ensuring that the age for retirement and type of pension system that is implemented are harmonised within the Eastern Caribbean Currency Union area…”
