Dear Editor,
I would like to endorse the comments by Mr Archie W. Cordis in his letter to you printed in your edition of Wednesday 15 May as it relates to the increase to NIS pensioners. The NIS has been instituting this discriminatory measure of only granting an increase in pensions to those pensioners who are at the minimum of the scale. This practise has been going on for years and should not be continued. Why should we pensioners who have been contributing to the scheme since 1969 and on whose backs the scheme was borne be subjected to such treatment when we are looking forward to benefiting from our years of contributions?
We cannot and should not be made to suffer any financial mismanagement of the scheme. Since it is known that the minimum of pension is tied to the minimum of the public service scale with a percentage across the board for those workers the same should at least be applied to pensions rather than just applying the increase to the minimum only. Remember that those of us who are far above the minimum level had to make more sacrifices by contributing more than those now at the minimum. While I feel that fellow pensioners at the lowest level deserve the increase, it should be applicable to all levels. I wonder if NIS would like to explain this travesty that they have perpetuated on pensioners above the minimum level.
Yours faithfully,
Michael Edghilo