Pinder tells employers to “do the right thing”

Pinder tells employers to “do the right thing”
Labour Director, John Pinder.

Labour Director John Pinder encouraged employers to “do the right thing”, after observing an increase in employee complaints that National Insurance Board (NIB) contributions have not been made on their behalf.

Pinder said since he assumed the post of director, there have been dozens of inquiries made by employees seeking recourse.

He noted that when he served on the board at NIB, employers were prosecuted for failing to make those payments.

“The employer is supposed to pay 5.9 per cent and employees pay 3.9 per cent,” Pinder said.

“It is unfortunate that some take the money and never pay NIB … this puts the employees at a disadvantage, only to discover when they need it, that no contributions were made.”

If an employee does not have a certain amount of contributions, they are unable to receive any benefits that includes for sickness and maternity.

Pinder said the only action left for employees who find themselves in this situation is to take legal action.

“Once an employee can prove that deductions are coming out for NIB, I’m sure some legal action can be taken,” he said.

“I encourage all employers to do the right thing.”

About Genea Noel

Genea Noel is the news director and weeknight TV news anchor at Eyewitness News. She began working at Eyewitness News in 2018 as the newsroom editor and was subsequently promoted during her tenure. As a household name who graces the screens of thousands of Bahamian homes each night, Genea has racked up an impressive five Bahamas Press Club awards, including “The Cyril Stevenson Award for Outstanding Political Journalism” (2020), “Best Studio Live Producer” (2020) and “Best Newscast” (2018).