CASTRIES, St. Lucia, CMC – The St. Lucia government has allocated EC$1.8 million (One EC dollar=US$0.37 cents) to pay an EC$600 one-off payment to public sector pensioners.
A government statement said an estimated 3 105 pensioners will benefit from the payment in addition to their regular monthly pensions and that this initiative injects approximately EC$1.863 million collectively into the pockets of pensioners.
During the 2021-22 budget statement, Prime Minister Phillip J Pierre had pledged. A one-time payment of EC$500 to government pensioners is a commitment that was fulfilled in October last year when the government allocated EC$1.5 million towards the initiative.
The statement said that the government had initiated discussions on increasing monthly pensions for eligible St. Lucian citizens, noting “this proactive step follows a 4.2 percent increase granted to all pensioners under the National Insurance Corporation (NIS)”.
The statement said that the government fulfilled a long-standing commitment last year, compensating former employees of the cash-strapped regional airline LIAT (1974) and a local garment factory.
It said that the compensation package was more than EC$6.3 million.
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