Grenada/Canada Agreement
Guide to Agreement
Caricom Social Security Agreement |
Reciprocal Accords
The Government of Grenada has signed reciprocal
agreements with the O.E.C.S states, Caricom
countries and with Canada. These agreements
were signed the 31st May 1996, 9th
November 1998 and 1st February 1999
respectively.
The reciprocal agreement on
Social Security was contracted between countries
to foster unity among peoples and functional
co-operation in the area of Social Security. It
is a harmonization of legislations based on the
principles of equality of treatment for
residents of parties under their Social Security
legislation as well as the maintenance of such
rights notwithstanding changes of residence
among their respective territories.
Benefits covered under the
O.E.C.S agreement are:
- Sickness and Maternity
benefits
- Funeral Grants
- Benefits in respect of
employment injuries and occupational
diseases.
- Invalidity, Age, and
Survivors benefits
The Caricom agreement
covers the following benefits:
- Invalidity pensions
- Disablement pensions
- Age or Retirement
pensions
- Survivors pension
- Death benefits in the
form of pensions
The agreement with Canada
covers:
- Canada Old Age
Security Pension
- Canada Pension plan
retirement pension
- Canada pension plan
disability pension
- Canada pension plan
survivors pension
- Canada pension plan
death benefit with Grenada
- Age pension
- Invalidity pension
- Survivors pension
- Funeral Grant
Under these agreements,
arrangements are made for pooling the insurance
periods served in various countries, and for the
payment of benefits by one or more of the Social
Security Schemes once the applicant has
qualified. For example to qualify for Age
pension at 60 in Grenada and St. Vincent
requires five hundred, (500) weekly
contributions. A worker, insured for 300 weeks
in St. Vincent and insured 200 weeks in Grenada
will qualify for pension in both countries at
rates proportional to the insured person's
period worked in each country.
The agreements also provide
for continuity of coverage. This means that
workers who are assigned or transferred by their
employers from one country to another will
continue to contribute and receive benefits from
their first Social Security Scheme for periods
ranging from two (2) years to five (5) years |