Persons wishing to check contributions should approach NIS
-Deputy General Manager
By Johann Earle
Stabroek News
December 8, 2003
Deputy General Manager of the National Insurance Scheme (NIS), Terry Thomas, says that persons wishing to check on their contributions should approach the Records Department of the NIS, rather than their employer.
He said that the next step for persons digging for information on the status of their contributions would be for them to check with the Compliance Department of the NIS.
He said that checking with the employer would not be sanctioned by law because, contrary to what he had said in a previous interview, employers had no legal obligation to reveal records of contribution payments.
Thomas said that when the NIS law was amended to effect the change from the card system, the section which stated that a person was entitled to see his/her NIS card for the purpose of affixing his/her signature, was overlooked. As a result, the updated NIS laws do not include such a section. He said that it was not spelt out in the new regulations that employers were obligated to show records of contributions to employees, but that this was where trade unions could play a part.
Over the last several months, persons have complained that when they attain the pensionable age of 60 and approach the NIS for their benefits, they are told that they do not have enough contributions and are, in some cases, offered a grant - substantially lower than what they would have received were they given the pension.
Thomas said that where such a person would have changed employers several times over the years, they would be required to submit a statement detailing the places where they had worked. NIS inspectors would then make checks at the places of employment. He said he would advise that the person check with the employer his/herself only if the NIS personnel were inundated and the contributor wanted quick results.
He added that many persons did not pay enough attention to the NIS until they needed benefits, when in some cases it was too late. He said that this might be because people felt comfortable with their salaries and did not place much importance on their NIS benefits.
Thomas told Stabroek News that the scheme has been trying to educate the public on what was required for the processing of benefits. "We feel it imperative to educate and sensitise," he said. The training department of the NIS conducts staff seminars and other forms of training, he said.
With regard to people being able to trace their contributions, Thomas told Stabroek News that the NIS would require a job letter, pay slip or any other form of documentation of the place of employment, since anyone could say that they had worked for a company for a number of years. He said that in the absence of those, testimonials from persons with whom the contributor worked were accepted. And if even this proved difficult to obtain, the NIS could ask claimants to provide records from the Internal Revenue Department (IRD) of the Guyana Revenue Authority. He said that in some cases, too, the NIS may even write to the IRD requesting the information on the person's behalf.
If after all of the recommended methods were exhausted and obtaining the information still proved futile, the NIS officer, based on the information and all other factors, can make a recommendation to the General Manager for a determination.
David Yankana, a member of the NIS Appeals Tribunal, told Stabroek News that the scheme has the responsibility to make records of contribution accessible to contributors. He advised that members of the public should check with the scheme on a regular basis to ensure that their contributions are paid in as deducted from their wages and salaries, recognising that there is no obligation on the part of the employer to make accessible records of contributions to persons.