The National Tripartite Council is pushing for more benefits for the workforce in the country.

Deputy Chair of the Tripartite Council, Robert Farquharson recently outlined the group’s push for a national pension plan. He said, “an employee who is working for one company can have a pension plan, an employee if they change jobs can take that pension plan with them wherever they go. So at the age of retirement they’ll be able to have something else to hold on to other than National Insurance benefit.”

The Council is also considering legislation for a national livable wage. Farquharson said much work has to be done on this issue. “Significant consultation with unions, employers, government, civic organizations, tertiary level organizations because we want to make sure the concept of descent work is practiced here in The Bahamas.”

The National Tripartite Deputy Chairman said that workers such as vendors, fishermen and taxi drivers are in need of benefit assistance. Farquharson said, “many of them don’t make National Insurance contributions and we call that the informal economy. We have to find a mechanism to have them get into the informal economy so when they become unemployed they can claim for employment benefits. When they become sick they can claim sickness benefit. When they retire they can have National Insurance to depend on. And that’s one of the aspects that we’re working within the NTC with the employers, with the government to try to have those matters resolved. And the NTC, I think, if going to be extremely aggressive to having those matters addressed.”

The National Tripartite Council represents the government, employers and employees.

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