HIST 3030: The Evolution of Social Policy in Barbados -- Kelsey Scott on The Effectiveness of the Old Age Pension Scheme after 1937

By, Kelsey Scott

Social security policy in Barbados was the first of its kind in the British West Indies. The accounts of the creation of welfare policy for the elderly, disabled, the injured, pregnant women, and the dependents of recently deceased insured persons were often woven into the goals of political entities balancing the delicate task of catering to the planter-merchant elite and black Barbadian citizens in need of certain social provisions. This brief account will describe the political climate before and after the creation of the Old Age Pension Scheme and the subsequent Social Security policies and revisions from 1937 into the 21^st century, with a primary focus on evaluating how the effectiveness of these policies have increased with revisions over the years.1

Barbadian society has changed drastically since the days preceding emancipation. Plantation holders provided social services, however menial and conditional, to formerly enslaved persons on plantations. After emancipation, due to the few jobs available within Barbadian society, individuals remained under the employment of their former masters. Social services, no longer provided by plantation owners, were supplemented by parochial

organizations, Friendly Societies, and churches, and were dependent upon the parish wherein one resided.2  The limited labor options in Barbados due to the ownership of vast tracts of land by plantation owners and the domination of local and national government and the economy by the planter merchant elite left poor, formerly enslaved Barbadian citizens destitute and desperate for social and political transformation.3

The Old Age Pension Scheme was drawn up by the colonial government of Barbados in

1936. It was influenced by the 1908 Old Age Pensions Legislation proposed by Herbert Henry Asquith in Britain. Asquith’s proposal was slightly more generous in comparison to the proposal of the Barbadian government, offering a pension of $1.20 weekly for a maximum income of $1.92 with the same minimum age requirement of 70 years old.4  Within Barbados, the preliminary Old Age Pension Scheme offered $0.36 of pension for a weekly approximate income of $1.50. A clause included just before its passing in 1938 provided Social Security benefits in the form of a pension to blind and disabled individuals; however, the minimum age requirement for claiming these benefits was 40 years.5 

Although the Workmen’s Compensation Act had been established in 1943, the delegation of British Caribbean Labour Officers in 1950 provided evidence that there were numerous restrictions and limitations on who had access to these benefits. It was stated quite conclusively that insurance was compulsory; however, there were no provisions for medical treatment or “Occupational Diseases”, and “Domestic servants” could not qualify for these benefits.6

Between the Barbados Labour Party (BLP) and the Democratic Liberal Party (DLP), the BLP focused primarily on Old Age Pension Scheme legislation, while the DLP focused on implementing a formal Social Security System. The BLP during the Grantley Adams era increased the Old Age Pension by 233 percent between 1939 and 1949, and 79 percent between 1950 and 1961.7  Before the DLP dominated during the Errol Barrows era, the policies in place were the Workmen’s Compensation Act, Old Age pensions, and other specific industry and provident funds (i.e. Sugar Workers’ Provident Fund 1968, 1971).8  The DLP in their 1966 Manifesto set out to “bring into operation in April 1967, the National Insurance and Social Security Scheme.”9  They also pledged to introduce legislation for Holidays with Pay and Severance Payments, and make the Provident Fund available to all sugar workers.

As labor diversified, and development programmes expanded, social security policies began to take into account larger subsets of the population within a variety of fields, specialties, and demographics. According to the 1970 Annual Reports of the Department of Labour, after

1970, the population of individuals working in the production of sugar declined and aged significantly. Investment in development programmes contributed to the construction of the tourism industry and thus the creation new jobs. Provisions were made within the expanding social security scheme to account also for the influx of expatriates and government contracted workers to Barbados with the expansion of development prospects.10

Based on an essay of suggestions written by Frank Alleyne, the effectiveness of these policies should be measured by scope, coverage and the invention of new techniques for greater delivery of service. Since its conception in 1966, the scope and coverage of the National Insurance and Social Security Act has expanded to include sickness benefit, maternity benefit or grant, invalidity benefit or grant, funeral grant, old age contributory grant or pension,

non-contributory old age pension, employment injury benefit, survivors' benefit or pension, and an unemployment benefit scheme since 1981. Between 1967 and 1991 the number of persons registered with the Scheme rose from 72,252 to 230,000, while the number of active contributors rose from 72,250 to 95,435, respectively.11  During the transformative years of the National Insurance and Social Security Act, the Old Age Pension Scheme became contributory, thus the working population of Barbados was asked to contribute into the National Insurance Fund.12  In the present, the Barbados National Social Security and Insurance Scheme “covers all working people whether they are self-employed or engaged under a contract of service in Barbados.” 13

References

1 Hunte, Keith. “The Struggle for Political Democracy: Charles Duncan O’Neal and the Democratic League.” In The Empowering Impulse: The Nationalist Tradition of Barbados, edited by Glenford Howe and Don Marshall, 133-148. Barbados: Canoe Press,

2001.

2Fletcher, L.P. “The Evolution of Poor Relief in Barbados 1900-1969”. Paper presented to the

Caribbean Studies Association XVIIth Annual Conference at St. George’s Grenada May 26-29.

3Merritt, Brittany. Developing Little England: Public Health, Popular Protest and Colonial Policy in Barbados 1918-1940.2016.Thesis.Print.

4Phillips, Anthony de V. ‘Grantley Herbert Adams, Asquithian Liberalism and Socialism: Which Way Press, 1998. Forward for Barbados, from the 1920s to the 1940s?’. In The Empowering Impulse: The Nation- alist Tradition of Barbados, edited by Glenford D. Howe and Don D. Marshall. Kingston: Canoe Press of the University of the West Indies, 2001.

5Fletcher, L.P. “Old Age Pension Policy Barbados.” Presented to the 18th Annual Conference of the Caribbean Studies Association, Kingston and Ochio Rios, Jamaica, May 24-29, 1993.

6Report of the Third Conference of British Caribbean Labour Officers held in Barbados. Advocate Co., Ltd. 16th-19th May 1950.

7Fletcher, L.P. “Old Age Pension Policy Barbados.

8Frank Alleyne. “Investing in People: The Key to Strengthening Barbados Social Security Scheme.” Presented to the XVIII Meeting of the American Commission on Organization and Administrative Systems (CAGSA)...

9 Democratic Labour Party. “We Now Have a Country”. 1966. Manifesto Barbados General

Election.

10  Annual Reports. Department of Labour. 1970-78, 1982-86. Sections Titled “Social Welfare” or

“Labour Legislation”

11Frank Alleyne. “Investing in People”

12 Frank Alleyne. “Investing in People”.

13 A Guide to Benefits. 2008. The National Insurance and Social Security Scheme.

Bibliography

A Guide to Benefits. 2008. The National Insurance and Social Security Scheme.

A Plan for the Implementation and Administration of the Proposed Social Security Scheme For

Barbados. 1964. Stockman Report.

Alleyne, Frank. “Investing in People: The Key to Strengthening Barbados Social Security Scheme.” Presented to the XVIII Meeting of the American Commission on Organization and Administrative Systems (CAGSA), and the XXXVI Meeting of the Permanent

Inter-American Social Security Committee (CPISS). Acapulco, Mexico. 19-21

November, 1992.

Annual Report. Department of Labor. 1970-78.

Democratic Labour Party. “We Now Have a Country”. 1966. Manifesto Barbados General

Election.

Fletcher, L.P. “Old Age Pension Policy Barbados.” Presented to the 18th Annual Conference of the Caribbean Studies Association, Kingston and Ochio Rios, Jamaica, May 24-29, 1993.

Fletcher, L.P. “The Evolution of Poor Relief in Barbados 1900-1969”. Paper presented to the

Caribbean Studies Association XVIIth Annual Conference at St. George’s Grenada May

26-29.

Hunte, Keith. “The Struggle for Political Democracy: Charles Duncan O’Neal and the Democratic League.” In The Empowering Impulse: The Nationalist Tradition of Barbados, edited by Glenford Howe and Don Marshall, 133-148. Barbados: Canoe Press,

2001.

Merritt, Brittany. Developing Little England: Public Health, Popular Protest and Colonial Policy in Barbados 1918-1940.2016.Thesis.Print.

Phillips, Anthony de V. ‘Grantley Herbert Adams, Asquithian Liberalism and Socialism: Which Way Press, 1998. Forward for Barbados, from the 1920s to the 1940s?’. In The Empowering Impulse: The Nation- alist Tradition of Barbados, edited by Glenford D. Howe and Don D. Marshall. Kingston: Canoe Press of the University of the West Indies,

2001.

Report of the Third Conference of British Caribbean Labour Officers held in Barbados.

Advocate Co., Ltd. 16th-19th May 1950.

Seekings, Jeremy. “Pa's Pension’: The Origins of Non-contributory Old-age Pensions in Late Colonial Barbados”, The Journal of Imperial and Commonwealth History, 35:4, 529-547, DOI: 10.1080/03086530701667476