BVI News

Don’t Fear! Unemployment Insurance coming next year!

Labour & Immigration Minister Vincent Wheatley

Social Security Minister Vincent Wheatley has announced that the government has plans to implement an Unemployment Insurance scheme next year.

Speaking in the House of Assembly on Tuesday, Wheatley said this insurance scheme will act as a safety net for persons who lose their job.

“So when you are not working, you do not have to be scrambling to figure out where you’re going to get money from,” Wheatley explained.

He said the implementation of the scheme will not place an extra burden on employees, adding that such a scheme will be valuable in times of national disasters.

“It is COVID now, we don’t know when it’s going away but it could be something after COVID. So we have to use this situation here, learn from it, and prepare for the next time,” Wheatley explained.

“We don’t have right now. We did this $40 million quick-fix thing to get us through this little COVID thing. But going forward, we’re going to have proper unemployment insurance.”

The $40 million to which he referred was a sum which the Social Security Board gave to government to help fund its $62.9 million COVID-19 Economic Stimulus-Response Plan.

During the height of COVID-19 earlier this year, the government launched plan to ease the financial burden in the territory. A total of $10 million was allocated for unemployment relief.

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23 Comments

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  1. Black label says:

    Somebody must be drinking extra. At the rate we are going with this government, will we survive until next year? Unemployment insurance coming next year and people don’t have work and can’t pay their bills this year. So we must just hold on and don’t dead. Just wait for the long application form that we will have to fill out next for some help. Are these people really our leaders?

    Like 39
    Dislike 4
  2. wait what? says:

    more deductions employers will take and never pay in??? How many YEARS will a person have to pay in to be able to collect?? Scheme or scam?

    Meanwhile @Black Label has it right. What are you guys drinking??

    People need HELP NOW.

    Governor Jaspert needs to see that the people of the BVI that are in dire straights.. We need HELP NOW

    Like 29
    Dislike 1
  3. Pure madness! says:

    Like seriously??! Mister the public need help months ago, it’s just a bunch of public talk collecting political points and not a damn thing happening… Y’all claim to have had over 62 mil in stimulus majority of the population didn’t qualify for a dime..The number of ppl y’all claimed to help wasn’t even a fraction of that so called funding..lets not forget the lil 40 and 50 bucks y’all give multiple ppl adding those to the percentage of persons you all claim to pay out..where is the money really??? Now here you come with another scheme to dip out the already suffering salaries around the BVI… it have a old saying “Rich will stay rich and the poor will get poorer”

    Like 28
  4. Sigh says:

    ya just cant please people buddy. the Gov is trying to implement insurance so that people are protected the next time around. and the only thing people can do is complain. as if the man say this is the only thing they are doing about the situation.

    Like 11
    Dislike 18
  5. VIP government says:

    Financial mismanagement is going to bankrupt this country!

    Like 15
  6. lol says:

    Paid for by whom?

    Like 18
  7. HAHAHA says:

    People cannot afford to pay into the current schemes but here comes a new one hahaaha

    Like 10
  8. Hush! says:

    I am guessing if you was one of those feeling the sufferings you won’t be here with that nonsense… You can smell privileged from a mile away. I don’t know why ppl like y’all don’t donate a percentage of your blessings to the cause instead of seeing sh*t so one sided…

    Like 7
    Dislike 1
  9. YUH DOH HEAR says:

    Doh dead hol on till nex year.

  10. Wheatley the undoing says:

    Two things will kill VIP at the polls next year: Their economic mismanagement which led to the crippling of small businesses and Vincent Wheatley who they allowed to divide the Territory with his h***. I hope the Premier flip flops well when the opposition plays the tapes of all that Wheatley continues to say. What a mess

    Like 6
    Dislike 1
  11. boo says:

    How much longer will it be before this government implodes? This looks like we are witnessing amateur hour at the Apollo

    Like 8
    Dislike 1
  12. waste says:

    Why don’t you say land coming to the young people to from airing your mouth Vincent

  13. Hurting says:

    How will this plan work for some work permit workers?? You have to be employed by the same employer for about 3 years and If like what is happening now, you are laid off you have to vacate the country. Think about what you are saying Sir.

  14. Listen says:

    Just take my pay check – NHI, Social Security, Pension, Tax now unemployment benefit. Listen just add the damn benefit to social security offerings and maybe up the percentage from 4% to 4.5% for employees and 4.5% to 5 % for employers.

    Gesh man

    Like 1
    Dislike 1
  15. Respect says:

    What I need him to look into is working here in the bvi for 15 years M** and they took ****ings took over their company and not a penny was given to us . Where is the justification in this .
    Who helping ppl like me why nobody doing a dam thing about it ??? Why is it that M * * have not paid us after a year . I love tortola as my my own but I will never forget how badly they have treated us here

  16. Comment says:

    I think is time we call for a next election cause really and truly VIP government is going and kill us …this is why that person bring Frazer name to the governor so he could become the prime so he and is government could do the peoples whatever them feel like !but please ayo just remember we the peoples of this country put ayo in power and just how we put ayo in there we can take ayo out simple as that its look like power gone up ayo head are something

  17. Wow says:

    The rate this government going, this country going be in a financial drought. FYI I pay enough in tax and social security. Please leave the social security money for when I retire, it done don’t be enough they give back. If the money wa in reserve burning y’all eyes look away. Y’all really not good at budgeting.

  18. Wow says:

    This is another to encourage laziness.

  19. Hmm says:

    We paying SSB our dues for years and now when we are not working we cannot get anything from the covid relief funds.

  20. Truth says:

    Stop it! Minimum wage workers and those just above that level CANNOT afford anymore deductions.This is getting out of control. What will we pay rent and buy food with?

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