Letter of the Day | Why the long wait for NIS pension?

THE EDITOR, Madam:

I will be retiring soon and I am with an approved pension scheme. What I am deeply concerned and have an issue with is the age at which I will be able to receive my NIS pension. At the organisation where I am employed, females retire at the age of 60 years, a ‘lunch and learn’ session was held a couple years ago with the Ministry of Social Security and this question was asked: “As females retire at 60 years, what are they to do between 60 and 65 years?” The answer received: “Don’t die”. The representative recommended that persons should not wait until the age of retirement to apply for their NIS pension but to apply for it three to four months before. However, in the next breath, the representative said: “But it may get lost”.

My question to the Government and the minister of labour and social security is: What are we to do for the five years? Is it a case where it is hoped that persons die during the waiting period so that there will not be a payout? To add insult to injury, since this year, my colleagues have reported that when they go to submit their applications for their NIS pensions, they are told that it takes six months to one year to process. Seriously!

It is a very hard pill to swallow for me who have started working at the age of 19 years to wait until 65 years to be able to apply for my NIS pension, when my organisation’s approved pension scheme has females at the retirement age of 60 years.

Many persons who are with an approved pension scheme and retiring may get one-third of their salary for pension, if lucky. The powers that be really need to revisit the matter as one size does not fit all in this case. I am sure some females are happy that the retirement age was increased to 65 years but what about those, like me, who really want to retire at the previous ‘normal’ retirement age of 60 years?

It is really a sad situation. It is uncaring and heartless that we have to wait and sweat for our little entitlement.

S.M. CHEN