The Tribune

By LEANDRA ROLLE

Tribune Staff Reporter

lrolle@tribunemedia.net

AMID concerns over lengthy delays in receiving unemployment payments, National Insurance Board Minister Brensil Rolle said officials are working to resolve all issues to ensure workers receive their contributions.

He insisted that “anyone who is entitled” to NIB benefits will receive them.

Speaking ahead of a Cabinet meeting yesterday, Mr Rolle told reporters: “NIB is doing a very good job. There are some hiccups in the road though. When you are trying to provide a benefit for 40,000 individuals to the NIB system, they will have some challenges.

“Primarily, the challenges come from individuals who work for the small business companies. We’re trying to address most of those. We’re doing a major cheque run this week and we anticipate that a lot of the concerns that individuals have had will be addressed.”

To date, more than $60m has been paid out in unemployment benefits to over 34,000 people. In a statement released last week, NIB said the number continues to grow daily.

However, there have been concerns in recent weeks over why some workers have already received the much-needed payments since the COVID-19 pandemic, while others have not.

Addressing the issue yesterday, Mr Rolle suggested that some workers may have not received the payments as yet due to some employers’ failing to pay NIB contributions on behalf of their employees. Situations like those, the minister said, can prolong the process of benefit payouts. He said officials are committed to addressing the issue.

“There’s two sides to a story,” he said.

“Individuals may say that they have not received a cheque but they may not have paid or their employer may not have paid so we’re looking at those challenges and the government took the opportunity last week to try to address some of those individuals who are not fully qualified for this assistance and they will come in through a programme initiated by the Ministry of Finance. And NIB will be the vehicle to which we try to address some of those issues.”

Asked yesterday when can people expect to receive the payments, the minister refrained from giving a definitive deadline, only saying he urged people to patient.

He said: “There’s a lot of noise in the market. Individuals sometimes expect more than they get. Pensioners, for example, feel once the government said we should give you $800, they want $800 notwithstanding the fact that the policy is we’ll split you the difference between your pension and the $800.

“So, yes, like I said, there have been some noise in the market. I urge the public to calm down. We will not, we will not not do our job and (we will) make sure anyone who is entitled to a benefit will get it.”

Meanwhile, as it relates to those employers who have not kept up to date with their NIB payments, Mr Rolle was firm that NIB will deal with those companies as necessary.

He added: “We’ve taken the position that if the employer as the rule says if the employer did not make the contribution to NIB, NIB will go after the employer.”

“But that process takes a little bit longer than for individuals who checked all the boxes and have made their contributions. We have said to individuals it is our duty to go after the employer, we will do our best to make sure that our employees get the benefit that they deserve and the social support that is necessary to keep them going.”

The minister was also asked if he was concerned about NIB experiencing insolvency problems since no additional funds were being injected into the agency by the Ministry of Finance.  

However, he replied: “Absolutely not, the system is that NIB is obligated by law to make 13 weeks of unemployment assistance. The government has taken the position that assistance and support needs to be extended and so this a government’s effort. This is separate and apart from NIB. NIB is not going insolvent. NIB is a very strong, strong, strong organisation and we will do our job.