Cap. 318 Art. 90AIncreases in pensions and Social Assistance rates as a result of cost-of-living increases awarded in wages generally.

Notwithstanding any other provisions of this Act, whenever Government awards a cost-of-living increase in the rate of the National Minimum Wage as is payable to persons of eighteen years of age or over under the provisions of the Employment and

Industrial Relations Act, any Social Assistance or pension payable under and in accordance with the foregoing provisions of this Act

(including an Orphan’s Supplementary Allowance but excluding -

(i) an Injury Pension assessed at 89% or less, and

(ii) any National Minimum Pension Additional

Allowance), shall, as from the date of such award or the date as from which such pension or assistance becomes due, whichever is the latter date, automatically be increased by an amount equivalent to two-thirds of such cost-of-living increase unless a higher increase is due under the aforesaid provisions of this Act, in which case, but save as provided for in the Sixth and Twelfth Schedules to this Act, the provisions of this article shall not apply:

Provided that, in the case of a National Minimum Pension as is payable under this Act to a married person who is maintaining his/her spouse, the proportion of two-thirds as aforesaid without prejudice to the provisions of this article shall be upgraded to four-fifths, sohowever that with effect from 1st January 2018, the aforementioned proportion in subparagraph (ii) above, shall cease to be upgraded to four-fifths:

Provided further that, with effect from 1st January 2022, notwithstanding the provisions of this article, whenever the Government awards a cost-of-living increase in the rate of the National Minimum Wage as is payable to persons of eighteen (18) years of age or over under the provisions of the Employment and Industrial Relations Act, any Social Assistance paid in accordance with the provisions of article 30 shall, as from the date of such award or the date as from which such Social Assistance becomes due, be automatically increased by the full cost-of-living increase:

Provided further that, where a person is entitled to two or more pensions as aforesaid in this article at the same time or to a pension or pensions as aforesaid in this article which is or are being supplemented by Social Assistance, such person shall only be entitled to only one such automatic increase as aforesaid in this article in respect of the same period.