THE OTHER DAY I was reading in the newspapers ’bout some women who had newborn babies and was on maternity leave and couldn’t get a cent from the National Insurance. One woman say dat evah time she call she was getting the runaround.
She say dat the person at the NIS tell her tuh call back in a few days or so and when she call back, duh tell her something ’bout the system down or it want upgrading or something so.
The story said dat one o’ the women went down tuh the NATION newspaper tuh talk ’bout the predicament she was in. I cahn remember if it was this one who said she had other children tuh send tuh school and such like, but these poor women were at their wits’ end because, cud’dear, I think maternity leave is about three months and one o’ dem like she almost ready tuh guh back out tuh work and still ain’t seeing nuh cheques in the mail. I would be upset too.
You know what it is tuh be paying National Insurance all ya working life only tuh get the turnaround when ya actually need ya benefits? It is very hard, especially when ya got the needs of a newborn baby tuh meet, probably the needs of other children, your own needs and all the other monthly bills pon top o’ dat.
What I gine say right now might sound a li’l cruel tuh some people, but from the way how things gine ’bout here it look tuh me like all o’ wunna who getting children all the time so gine have tuh stop because it ain’t look as though wunna gine get nuh maternity benefits.
I ain’t talking ’bout the women who got good jobs and are successful or the ones who working fuh demselves or even the ones who might be married and fairly well off. I talking ’bout all o’ wunna women who ain’t getting one blind cent from these children fathers.
Now the men ain’t wukking nuhwhere and you, who bringing in a li’l berry when the weeks come and barely holding up the fort, now gone and get pregnant again. Your thinking is dat because the boss does take out National Insurance from your salary when the weeks come, when you ready tuh claim, it gine be there fuh you.
Well, all I could tell wunna women is tuh make sure dat ya all able tuh look after a child and wunnaselves before wunna go and get pregnant again. Look, things change; times hard and getting dread.
Lemmuh tell you something: it is almost time fuh me tuh get my old age pension. So one day I got all excited and took it upon myself tuh go in tuh the National Insurance office and check out what ya does have tuh do tuh get pension when ya get my age.
Anyway, after waiting in line for a li’l while, I was called in and a very nice lady told me tuh sit down and, after taking all my particulars, informed me dat I was eligible for it in September this year, 2015, and the amount I was suppose tuh get. The truth is, it sounded real good tuh me and I am actually looking forward tuh it. But ya know . . . huhmmmm!
Well, I gine be honest wid ya: I ain’t gine hold my breath. I might pass out from the lot o’ long talk and the waiting like these women. I ain’t know how so many people could be paying National Insurance evah single week or month, and duh still ain’t got nuh kinda money in there tuh pay out the people benefits when the time come.
Well, I gine have tuh tell ya: dat is disgraceful. Where all the money going or gone? If it is one place dat should have money, it is the NIS. All sorts o’ people does pay NIS and all the people doan have claims all the time. So where is the people flipping money when they need it?
I only hope things begin tuh turn around before the time come fuh me tuh get my pension. I looking forward tuh it like anybody else.
Mavis Beckles was born and raised in The Orleans. She has an opinion on everything.
