Ram steps in up assist 2 NIS-denied pensioners

wo elderly pensioners who have been denied their old age pensions by the National Insurance Scheme (NIS) are now receiving monthly pension payments from Attorney Christopher Ram, who has stepped in to support them until their situation is resolved.
The beneficiaries, 68-year-old Julia Clarke and 73-year-old Shariff Zainul, will receive contributions from Ram equivalent to an NIS old age pension on a monthly basis. Ram made this commitment during a brief ceremony at his office on Waterloo Street, Georgetown.
“What I have decided to do is that I will give both of them an NIS pension indefinitely until the NIS starts paying them. If NIS doesn’t start paying them, then I will continue to pay them,” Ram stated during the handing-over event.
Ram highlighted the ongoing legal struggles faced by the pensioners. In Zainul’s case, the High Court had previously ordered the NIS to pay him his full pension benefits after he successfully proved that his employer, Toolsie Persaud Limited (TPL), had failed to remit 354 contributions between 1992 and 2000. The NIS was ordered to credit these contributions and pay Zainul his pension retroactively from October 16, 2011, the date of his 60th birthday. However, the NIS appealed the decision in December 2023, leaving the matter unresolved.
For Julia Clarke, the situation is equally challenging. Ram explained that, according to NIS records, Clarke has made 739 contributions—just 11 short of the 750 required to qualify for a full pension. Clarke disputes the accuracy of these records, asserting that her employment history with a single employer alone qualifies her for a pension, rather than the one-time grant she was offered.
Both pensioners have submitted their pay slips to the NIS, but the issues remain unresolved, leaving them without the financial support they are entitled to.
Ram emphasized the need for the NIS to restore public confidence by becoming more transparent, accountable, and responsive to its contributors and claimants. He called on the government to withdraw its appeal against the court’s decision in Zainul’s case and to review cases like Clarke’s with a more humane and enlightened approach.
Additionally, Ram advocated for the immediate implementation of a sliding scale or partial pension system for individuals who have made more than 500 contributions, equivalent to ten years of work.