St. Kitts and Nevis’ PM announces increase for nation’s pensioners

Basseterre, St. Kitts (CUOPM) — A few months after civil servants and auxiliary workers received a 10 percent increase, St. Kitts and Nevis’ Prime Minister the Rt. Hon. Dr. Denzil L. Douglas has announced increases for the country’s pensioners.

He told a mammoth crowd at the first nighttime anniversary Ceremonial Parade to mark the 31st Anniversary of Independence, that his St. Kitts-Nevis Labour Party Cabinet has approved an increase in Social Security Pensions with effect from July 1, 2014.

“Specifically minimum age pension will be increased by 7.5% from $400 per month to $430 per month and non-contributory assistance pension would be increased by 2% to $255 per month. Moreover, all other pensions awarded in any year before 2010 would be increased by 6%; pensions awarded in 2010, 2011 or 2012 would be increased by 2%; pensions awarded in 2013 would be increased by 1%,” he announced to the tremendous applause of the crowd.

Dr. Douglas said the increases are scaled such that the pensions awarded before 2010 enjoy a higher increase than those awarded more recently because the recent awards would have been based on more recent salaries and would therefore have been relatively higher than those awarded in earlier periods.