Jennifer: No pensions for Senators

She shot down arguments that the International Labour Organisation (ILO) Convention 111 against discrimination means that non-portfolio Senators must be treated equally to other legislators.

“Being a Senator you are not ‘employed’ and it is not an ‘occupation’,” asserted Baptiste-Primus. She also doubted that Parliament can be defined as a Senator’s “workplace” She also said Convention 111 is given effect in TT by the Equal Opportunities Act (EOA), which states “who” must not be discriminated against and “how”.

Saying the EOA bans discrimination on grounds such as sex, race and disability, she said there is no evidence that any Senator is discriminated against on any of these grounds. Secondly, saying the EOA bans discrimination in job, accommodation, education or the provision of goods and services, she said, “Senators do not have full time positions and are not stopped from having substantive jobs.” Baptiste-Primus declared, “It is also an unreasonable expectation that a part-time office should have equal retirement benefits as a fulltime office”.

Earlier, Opposition Senator Khadijah Ameen noted that Senators were not seeking “free money” but simply a chance to contribute to a retirement scheme.

Independent Senator David Small lamented the case of a former senator reduced to a state of mendicancy after years of service, empathising, “It is with a sense of shame that I stand here”. Saying he spends more than 40 hours per week in research and attendance at Parliament (including 20 hours each weekend), Small said the nation will benefit if such contributions are valued. This debate resumes next month, while the Senate will mull Government business on February 7 at 1.30 pm.