Fed-up mother stages protest for unpaid maternity benefits

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Onesha Elvin protesting outside of the Social Security Board yesterday (Photo contributed)
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By Latrishka Thomas

[email protected]

One woman’s frustration over monies owed to her by the Antigua and Barbuda Social Security Board grew so intense that she decided to stage a protest.

Onesha Elvin held a one-woman demonstration outside the Social Security offices in Long Street yesterday morning.

Ten months ago, Elvin gave birth to a bouncing baby boy and told Observer she has been waiting for her maternity allowance ever since.

Elvin said she could not wait any longer since she is on leave from work without pay, due to the needs of her child.

“That maternity benefit would have come in handy to help with the support of a child,” she stated, while indicating that she is only surviving financially due to the assistance of her partner.

As a result, she decided to stage action on Monday.

“Every time you call them, they tell you they are not sure when you’re going to get it, they have a backlog. Sometime you can’t get them when you call. You go into see them and nobody knows when, and I just had enough of sitting and waiting,” she said.

According to the board’s website, “maternity allowance constitutes 60 percent of the insured person’s average insurable weekly earnings. The average insurable weekly earnings are calculated by totalling the earnings (up to the Social Security ceiling of $6,500) in the 52 weeks immediately preceding the six-week period before the expected date of delivery”.

Before ending her protest yesterday, the mother-of-two said she had heard from a manager of the board.

Elvin said that the manager had looked into the issue and “said that the cheque was approved and is ready but may not have been posted”.

The woman agreed to wait a little longer but is hoping to get that cheque before Christmas.

Meanwhile, Elvin encouraged other persons waiting for monies owed to take a stand.

“If persons feel aggrieved, come out and make yourself be known. You shouldn’t be more than six weeks for something that is due for you,” she added.

Social Security Board Director David Matthias declined to comment.

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