It is the duty of the Permanent Secretary or Head of Department to ensure that efficient, effective and reliable

systems are put in place to record, maintain and secure all personnel information about the details of an

Officer’s/employee’s service.

• Records may be maintained manually or electronically.

• Officers/employees assigned to the Personnel or Human Resource Section of the particular Ministry or Department for example, Human Resource Officer, Personnel Officer, and Senior Clerk have direct responsibility for the maintenance of records.

A gratuity is a lump sum payment made to a retired officer or employee. An officer/employee who is entitled to a pension may opt to receive a gratuity and a reduced pension in lieu of a full pension. An officer/employee not entitled to a pension may be granted a gratuity.

Other Allowance” is a retiring award usually in the form of compensation or cost of living allowance. At present a person who is temporarily employed for not less than two (2) years and whose service has been terminated may be granted a lump sum payment as compensation. The Act provides for the payment of cost of living allowances to be added to stored pensions.

A pension is a monthly payment which is made to former public officers and Government employees who

have retired and satisfied certain basic conditions of service in accordance with specific pension legislation,

for example, the Pensions Act, Chapter 25 of the Laws of Barbados.

A pension may be granted to an officer or employee who was employed for ten (10) years or more and retired in one of the following circumstances:

- Voluntarily on reaching the age of fifty-five (55) years if permanently appointed on or before the 15th July 1985 and in other cases on reaching the age of sixty (60) years;

- Compulsory retirement on reaching the prescribed age;

- On retirement from other Public Service after having been transferred from the public Barbados to that other public service;

- On the abolition of his office;

- On the re-organization of his office for any purpose;

- On medical grounds if the illness is likely to be permanent;

- On becoming unfit to discharge his duties provided that such unfitness was not due to his own misconduct or gross negligence and the Governor-General considers that the special circumstances of the case justify the grant of a pension or gratuity;

- On his removal from office on the ground of inefficiency.

An officer, permanently appointed, who retired/resigned before attaining the age of fifty-five (55) years, or sixty (60) years if appointed after July 15, 1985, may be entitled to a stored pension, gratuity or other allowance which is payable on reaching the age of fifty-five (55) years or sixty (60) years as the case may be.

The retiring benefits are therefore suspended until the officer attains the appropriate age or sooner dies or satisfies the Governor-General that he is incapacitated and his condition is likely to be permanent before attaining the appropriate age.

Only a person who left the Public Service before attaining the age of fifty (50) years on or after 1966-11-30 but before 1975-09-01, or a person who retired/resigned from the Public Service after 1975-09-01 may be entitled to a stored pension, gratuity or other allowance.

Therefore, an officer who retired/resigned from the Public Service before 1966-11-30 would not be entitled to any stored retirement benefits.

An officer who retired on or after reaching fifty (50) years old on 1966-11-30 but before 1975-09-01 would have been granted the retiring benefits to which he was entitled at the date of his retirement.
A stored pension may be payable if the officer worked for ten (10) years or more and a gratuity may be payable if the officer worked for five years but less than ten (10) years.

An officer or employee may qualify for a pension if he held a pensionable office for ten (10) years or more.

The following records are essential and must be properly kept, updated and protected throughout and

after a person’s service.

- The specific periods of employment beginning from the date of first employment until the date of retirement:

- Emoluments (salaries, wages, allowances etc.) earned, especially those earned in the last five years of service.

- The types and periods of leave taken, especially no-pay leave granted, since no-pay leave is deducted from total service in the pension calculation unless such leave was granted on grounds of public policy or on a person’s suspension from duty.

- Letters of or other documentation on appointments, promotions, transfers, secondment, resignations, terminations, dismissals and re-employment.

- Personal records such as birth certificates of an officer/employee and his family where appropriate, marriage certificates, evidence or documentation on name changes e.g. affidavits and deed polls, divorce decrees, addresses and telephone numbers and other contact information.

Yes, in the case of service as a casual employee only, as determined by the Casual Employees Pensions Act, Chapter 20 of the Laws of Barbados. Affidavits from two (2) reputable persons attesting to casual service may be accepted if it has been established that documented records were not available. Service prior to the age of eighteen (18) years cannot be considered on the basis of affidavits.

A Service Record should be prepared for each twelve (12) month period or year commencing from the date of first employment. It should not be prepared on a calendar year basis unless the employee commenced his first employment on the 1st of January of the particular year. The correct form of a record of service is shown below as well as examples of an Affidavit and a letter of option to receive a gratuity and reduced Pension. An example of a Service Record card is also attached. 

• A Record of Service

• An Affidavit

Yes. Affidavits may be provided by persons who have personal knowledge about the facts being sworn to concerning the service of an officer/employee mainly in the following circumstances:

When adequate records of service are not available by the Department.

To verify name changes (records may not correspond to birth certificates or other official documents).

Where service claimed cannot be confirmed by appropriate government documents.

Affidavits must be sworn to before a Justice of the Peace and the information provided must be true in all material respects.

The persons giving the affidavits must be eighteen (18) years or older at the commencement of service being sworn to.

Yes, but certain restrictions apply in determining the quantum of Public Service pension to be paid annually.

 No. You should refer to publications issued by the National Insurance Office setting out clearly a person’s entitlements to National Insurance benefits including National Insurance pensions.

Where an officer holding an established office is seconded to regional or international organization, or a statutory board his public service during the period of secondment would be:

• Pensionable if the approved employer agreed to pay the prescribed contribution to the Government of Barbados

• At present, the prescribed sum is twenty-five percent (25%) of the salary that would have been payable to the officer from time to time in respect of his substantive appointment in the public service of Barbados.

• The officer shall not receive the emoluments attached to his substantive office.

• Where an officer remains on secondment in excess of two (2) years or the period for which an extension was approved, the officer shall be required to exercise the option of remaining in the service of the approved employer to which he was seconded, or returning to his substantive position in the Public Service

You can assist in the following ways:

• Giving early notice, that is, about six (6) months before the proposed date of voluntary
  
  retirement or compulsory retirement, to your Permanent Secretary or Head of
  
  Department.

• Preserving letters of appointments, promotions, transfers, leave and other details about
  
  your service and emoluments earned and making this information available to your
  
  Ministry/Department if necessary.

• Providing personal information and changes in such information immediately.

• Obtaining an understanding of the requirements of the Laws dealing with pensions.

• Following up the progress of your application for benefits.

The complete process as outlined, normally takes about four (4) months because of the volume
retiring rewards being processed annually and the need to ensure the accuracy of information and of the payments to be made.

 If all of the required information and documentation is made available the process would take a
shorter time, information submitted is incomplete or unclear then the process would take a longer time.  

All no pay leave is deducted from total pensionable service and would therefore reduce pension benefits.

- Affidavits are also required to verify name changes records may not correspond to birth certificates.

- An Affidavit is required where service claimed by an officer cannot be confirmed by other government documents.

A mixed service pension is payable where an officer has pensionable service in an organization which is considered a scheduled authority, for example the Barbados Family Planning Association.

The Officer is entitled to a mixed pension which is split between the organization and the Government, if the service with the organization is deemed to be public service.

Compulsory retirement and retirement on medical grounds.

Yes, provided that you resigned before reaching the age of fifty-five (55) years or sixty (60) years, whichever is applicable, and were reemployed for at least five (5) years continuously before retirement.

Personal information on an officer’s family is required to facilitate payments of retiring benefits to eligible dependents or legal personal representatives where an officer:

- Died before retirement.

- Was killed while discharging his duties

- Died after retirement but before he received the retirement benefits to which he was entitled;

- Died but was a contributor to the Widows and Children Pensions Act, Chapter 37 of the Laws of Barbados and left a widow or other eligible dependents; and

- To complete the records on an officer or employee.

• Only persons employed within the Public Service may apply for a vacancy that is listed as open to staff employed in the Public Service.
• If you are over the age of sixteen (16) years, whether you are currently employed within the Barbados Public Service or not, you may apply for any vacancy listed as open to the general public.