Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 1997, published 86th ILC session (1998)

Invalidity, Old-Age and Survivors' Benefits Convention, 1967 (No. 128) - Barbados (Ratification: 1972)

With reference to its previous comments, the Committee notes the information supplied by the Government in its report and in particular that concerning the application of Part III (Old-age benefit), Article 15, paragraph 3, of the Convention.

Part V (Standards to be complied with by periodical payments). (a) Article 27 (in relation with Articles 10 and 17). In reply to the Committee's previous comments concerning the recourse to Article 27 to ascertain whether the level of the invalidity benefit attains the percentage prescribed by the Convention, the Government indicates that the minimum rate of benefit has been increased to $82.50 per week. In its report on Convention No. 102, the Government also indicates the minimum amount of wages for domestics, shop assistants and construction labourers, without indicating however which category is chosen to reflect the reference wage of an ordinary adult male labourer for the purpose of the calculation of the level of benefits. In order to be able to assess the level of the invalidity benefit, the Committee would be grateful if the Government's next report would include full information requested in the report form on the Convention adopted by the Governing Body Titles I and II under Article 27, specifying in particular, for the same time period, the current minimum amount of the invalidity benefit provided to a standard beneficiary (man with wife and two children) and the amount of the wage (and not only minimum wage) of an ordinary adult male labourer chosen in accordance with paragraph 4 or 5 of Article 27. Please supply also the information requested by the report form under Title III of the said Article with regard to the rate of the old-age benefit.

(b) Article 29. The Committee notes the information on fluctuations of the retail price index and the wages index for the period 1990-94. It hopes that the Government's next report would include also statistical information on the corresponding adjustment of the minimum and other invalidity and old-age pensions for the same time period, as required by the report form under Article 29.