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711bet online Senate committee votes forward bottle bill proposal amid criticism from industry and envirosIn a disturbing incident of caste-based violence, a Dalit man identified as Shubran Paswan was subjected to public humiliation by Hindutva groups affiliated with Bajrang Dal and Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP). The incident took place in Uttar Pradesh’s Fatehpur district on Friday, December 27. The incident unfolded when Paswan was accused of converting to Christianity. The Hindutva groups confronted him aggressively shaved his head, beat him with shoes and dragged him to a local temple where he was forced to bow down and recite the Hanuman Chalisa . A video of the disturbing assault that has surfaced on social media shows Paswan visibly distressed being escorted by the aggressive crowd and paraded through the streets of their villages amid “Jai Shri Ram” chants. In #UttarPradesh 's #Fatehpur , a #Dalit man named #Shubran was forcibly paraded through the village after having his head shaved and being beaten with shoes by #Hindutva groups on Friday, following accusations of converting to #Christianity . He was also forced to bow down at a... pic.twitter.com/QOG8bK9l0L Paswan alleged that he was not only physically assaulted but also psychological abuse and being subjected to casteist slurs such as “chamar” during the incident. He further alleged that despite his attempts to file a formal complaint, the police refused to register his case, a move that has ignited outrage from Dalit community members. The police authorities’ alleged inaction promoted protests with social activities demanding accountability and justice. Additionally, Pawan submitted a memorandum to the district magistrate demanding strict action against the perpetrators. On the other hand, a senior leader of Bajrang Dal and VHP attempted to justify the incident claiming that Paswan had converted to Christianity and later approached them expressing a desire to “return to Sanatan Dharma”. While the Hindutva leaders framed the incident as a voluntary act, the aggression displayed in the video depicts a different picture. Critics argue that the incident was less about religion and more about asserting dominance over marginalized communities and the lack of legal repercussion encourages extremists to conduct this kind of hostile attack.After her son's death, Melissa Etheridge turned her grief into advocacy by creating a foundation to support new research into old 'plant medicine'

Stock market today: Wall Street slips to a rare back-to-back loss

NoneUP Dalit man’s head shaved, paraded over religious conversionAUGUSTA, Maine — The 132nd Legislature met Wednesday in Augusta to swear in members and elect the Democratic-nominated constitutional officers, a largely ceremonial day that followed drama surrounding how Republicans selected their attorney general nominee. The swearing-in process ahead of legislative business beginning in January came a day after the final recount of a Nov. 5 election race concluded. Democrats, who have controlled the State House and governor’s office since 2018, saw their majorities narrow to a 76-73 advantage in the House, with two independents, and to a 20-15 edge in the Senate. The Legislature voted Wednesday for Attorney General Aaron Frey to continue in the role he has held since 2018, after Democrats nominated him by secret ballot Tuesday over challenger Maeghan Maloney, the district attorney for Kennebec and Somerset counties. Rep. Joe Perry, D-Bangor, will become the Maine state treasurer after beating House Majority Leader Mo Terry, D-Gorham. Secretary of State Shenna Bellows and Maine State Auditor Matt Dunlap did not face Democratic challengers for the positions they have held since 2021. Each chamber has new Democratic leadership after House Speaker Rachel Talbot Ross, D-Portland, and Senate President Troy Jackson, D-Allagash, were termed out. Members elected former House Speaker Ryan Fecteau, D-Biddeford, to once again hold the gavel in the lower chamber and elected Assistant Senate Majority Leader Mattie Daughtry, D-Brunswick, to lead the upper chamber. House Minority Leader Billy Bob Faulkingham, R-Winter Harbor, and Senate Minority Leader Trey Stewart, R-Presque Isle, will continue in their leadership roles. Republicans nominated former Maine Attorney General Bill Schneider, who served from 2011 to 2013, to compete for Frey’s position but did not have the numbers to elect him. The closed-door nomination process featured some drama after the Maine Republican Party initially said in a Nov. 26 news release that Bobby Charles, a Wayne native who served as assistant secretary of state for international narcotics and law enforcement affairs under former President George W. Bush, would be the party’s attorney general pick. But several Republican lawmakers said the party overstepped by publishing that news release last month. Maine Republican Party Executive Director Jason Savage did not respond Wednesday to a request for comment. Charles, who is mulling a run for governor in 2026, said during a Wednesday morning interview on WVOM he did not know what happened behind the scenes, adding it was “above my pay grade” and he had “a feeling it has to do with personalities or something.” “I was told people were shocked,” Charles said. “But you know what, it’s really not my call.” Faulkingham said Schneider, a Durham resident and Army veteran who previously was a state lawmaker, assistant U.S. attorney and district court judge, was “the better candidate here.” “They both have a good resume, but Bobby’s is in D.C. and Schneider’s is here in Maine,” Faulkingham said by text message Wednesday. Bellows beat the Republican nominee for secretary of state, Sawin Millett, a longtime lawmaker and former state commissioner from Waterford who earlier this year finished his final term in the Legislature that he was first elected to in 1968. Gov. Janet Mills, a Democrat, noted 36 members are “brand new” to the Legislature while speaking to incoming legislators Tuesday evening during a banquet and reception at the Augusta Civic Center. The Legislature has members ranging in age from 25 to 79. Mills mentioned a range of issues the Legislature will likely tackle ahead of a statutory end date of June 18, 2025, such as housing , rising property taxes and health care . Mills reiterated she plans on proposing a state budget in the coming weeks “that is lean and that maintains, to the greatest extent possible, commitments the Legislature has already made.” “As you consider my budget proposal and other legislation before you,” Mills said, “I urge you to keep the long-term fiscal stability of our state as a high priority.” More articles from the BDN

Foot Locker's Q3: Not That Bad Though The Market Was Spooked, Still A HoldRenuka Rayasam | (TNS) KFF Health News In April, just 12 weeks into her pregnancy, Kathleen Clark was standing at the receptionist window of her OB-GYN’s office when she was asked to pay $960, the total the office estimated she would owe after she delivered. Clark, 39, was shocked that she was asked to pay that amount during this second prenatal visit. Normally, patients receive the bill after insurance has paid its part, and for pregnant women that’s usually only when the pregnancy ends. It would be months before the office filed the claim with her health insurer. Clark said she felt stuck. The Cleveland, Tennessee, obstetrics practice was affiliated with a birthing center where she wanted to deliver. Plus, she and her husband had been wanting to have a baby for a long time. And Clark was emotional, because just weeks earlier her mother had died. “You’re standing there at the window, and there’s people all around, and you’re trying to be really nice,” recalled Clark, through tears. “So, I paid it.” On online baby message boards and other social media forums , pregnant women say they are being asked by their providers to pay out-of-pocket fees earlier than expected. The practice is legal, but patient advocacy groups call it unethical. Medical providers argue that asking for payment up front ensures they get compensated for their services. How frequently this happens is hard to track because it is considered a private transaction between the provider and the patient. Therefore, the payments are not recorded in insurance claims data and are not studied by researchers. Patients, medical billing experts, and patient advocates say the billing practice causes unexpected anxiety at a time of already heightened stress and financial pressure. Estimates can sometimes be higher than what a patient might ultimately owe and force people to fight for refunds if they miscarry or the amount paid was higher than the final bill. Up-front payments also create hurdles for women who may want to switch providers if they are unhappy with their care. In some cases, they may cause women to forgo prenatal care altogether, especially in places where few other maternity care options exist. It’s “holding their treatment hostage,” said Caitlin Donovan, a senior director at the Patient Advocate Foundation . Medical billing and women’s health experts believe OB-GYN offices adopted the practice to manage the high cost of maternity care and the way it is billed for in the U.S. When a pregnancy ends, OB-GYNs typically file a single insurance claim for routine prenatal care, labor, delivery, and, often, postpartum care. That practice of bundling all maternity care into one billing code began three decades ago, said Lisa Satterfield, senior director of health and payment policy at the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists . But such bundled billing has become outdated, she said. Previously, pregnant patients had been subject to copayments for each prenatal visit, which might lead them to skip crucial appointments to save money. But the Affordable Care Act now requires all commercial insurers to fully cover certain prenatal services. Plus, it’s become more common for pregnant women to switch providers, or have different providers handle prenatal care, labor, and delivery — especially in rural areas where patient transfers are common. Some providers say prepayments allow them to spread out one-time payments over the course of the pregnancy to ensure that they are compensated for the care they do provide, even if they don’t ultimately deliver the baby. “You have people who, unfortunately, are not getting paid for the work that they do,” said Pamela Boatner, who works as a midwife in a Georgia hospital. While she believes women should receive pregnancy care regardless of their ability to pay, she also understands that some providers want to make sure their bill isn’t ignored after the baby is delivered. New parents might be overloaded with hospital bills and the costs of caring for a new child, and they may lack income if a parent isn’t working, Boatner said. In the U.S., having a baby can be expensive. People who obtain health insurance through large employers pay an average of nearly $3,000 out-of-pocket for pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum care, according to the Peterson-KFF Health System Tracker . In addition, many people are opting for high-deductible health insurance plans, leaving them to shoulder a larger share of the costs. Of the 100 million U.S. people with health care debt, 12% attribute at least some of it to maternity care, according to a 2022 KFF poll . Families need time to save money for the high costs of pregnancy, childbirth, and child care, especially if they lack paid maternity leave, said Joy Burkhard , CEO of the Policy Center for Maternal Mental Health, a Los Angeles-based policy think tank. Asking them to prepay “is another gut punch,” she said. “What if you don’t have the money? Do you put it on credit cards and hope your credit card goes through?” Calculating the final costs of childbirth depends on multiple factors, such as the timing of the pregnancy , plan benefits, and health complications, said Erin Duffy , a health policy researcher at the University of Southern California’s Schaeffer Center for Health Policy and Economics. The final bill for the patient is unclear until a health plan decides how much of the claim it will cover, she said. But sometimes the option to wait for the insurer is taken away. During Jamie Daw’s first pregnancy in 2020, her OB-GYN accepted her refusal to pay in advance because Daw wanted to see the final bill. But in 2023, during her second pregnancy, a private midwifery practice in New York told her that since she had a high-deductible plan, it was mandatory to pay $2,000 spread out with monthly payments. Daw, a health policy researcher at Columbia University, delivered in September 2023 and got a refund check that November for $640 to cover the difference between the estimate and the final bill. “I study health insurance,” she said. “But, as most of us know, it’s so complicated when you’re really living it.” While the Affordable Care Act requires insurers to cover some prenatal services, it doesn’t prohibit providers from sending their final bill to patients early. It would be a challenge politically and practically for state and federal governments to attempt to regulate the timing of the payment request, said Sabrina Corlette , a co-director of the Center on Health Insurance Reforms at Georgetown University. Medical lobbying groups are powerful and contracts between insurers and medical providers are proprietary. Because of the legal gray area, Lacy Marshall , an insurance broker at Rapha Health and Life in Texas, advises clients to ask their insurer if they can refuse to prepay their deductible. Some insurance plans prohibit providers in their network from requiring payment up front. If the insurer says they can refuse to pay up front, Marshall said, she tells clients to get established with a practice before declining to pay, so that the provider can’t refuse treatment. Related Articles Health | Which health insurance plan may be right for you? Health | California case is the first confirmed bird flu infection in a US child Health | Santa Cruz County supervisors approve latest CORE funding cycle amid community uproar Health | Your cool black kitchenware could be slowly poisoning you, study says. Here’s what to do Health | Does fluoride cause cancer, IQ loss, and more? Fact-checking Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s claims Clark said she met her insurance deductible after paying for genetic testing, extra ultrasounds, and other services out of her health care flexible spending account. Then she called her OB-GYN’s office and asked for a refund. “I got my spine back,” said Clark, who had previously worked at a health insurer and a medical office. She got an initial check for about half the $960 she originally paid. In August, Clark was sent to the hospital after her blood pressure spiked. A high-risk pregnancy specialist — not her original OB-GYN practice — delivered her son, Peter, prematurely via emergency cesarean section at 30 weeks. It was only after she resolved most of the bills from the delivery that she received the rest of her refund from the other OB-GYN practice. This final check came in October, just days after Clark brought Peter home from the hospital, and after multiple calls to the office. She said it all added stress to an already stressful period. “Why am I having to pay the price as a patient?” she said. “I’m just trying to have a baby.” ©2024 KFF Health News. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Australia is banning social media for people under 16. Could this work elsewhere — or even there?Several times following New England’s 24-21 loss to the Buffalo Bills, Patriots coach Jerod Mayo said he wanted to review the game film before making a final assessment of his team’s performance. He did, and on Monday he said the overarching feeling he was left with was one of pride. Going toe-to-toe with one of the best teams in the NFL is commendable. Mayo also remains confident this group has even more room for growth over its final two games this season. “To be frank, I don’t believe in good losses,” Mayo said. “I think there’s a lot to learn from the game. Look, we’re headed in the right direction, but it’s all about consistency, and we have to do that on a down-after-down, a game-after-game basis to be successful in this league.” What is also clear is that despite their 3-12 record, Patriots rookie quarterback Drake Maye wants people to know that he and his teammates believe in their coach. No matter what conversations might be going on outside the Patriots locker room regarding shortcomings by the coaching staff, or Mayo’s job status. “We’ve got his back, and he’s coached us hard. He wants to win. We all want to win. We’re all frustrated,” Maye said. “We’re just plays away, and it’s basically me turning the ball over. I think it’s just a testament to these guys that keep fighting. We keep fighting. Shoot, we’re not going to make the playoffs; we’re out of the race, and these guys are coming in, frustrated when we don’t score. ... So, I think we’re building something good, building something that feels right here, and I’m proud to be a Patriot.” Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings.None

Justice Department Dropping Its Classified Documents Case Against TrumpFrom wealth and success to murder suspect, the life of Luigi Mangione took a hard turn

Outlook Therapeutics ( NASDAQ:OTLK – Get Free Report ) posted its earnings results on Friday. The company reported ($0.77) EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.83) by $0.06, Zacks reports. Outlook Therapeutics Stock Performance NASDAQ OTLK opened at $2.01 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $3.81 and its two-hundred day moving average is $5.90. The firm has a market cap of $47.55 million, a PE ratio of -0.19 and a beta of 0.46. Outlook Therapeutics has a one year low of $0.87 and a one year high of $12.85. Wall Street Analyst Weigh In OTLK has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. HC Wainwright reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $30.00 target price on shares of Outlook Therapeutics in a research report on Friday, November 29th. Ascendiant Capital Markets decreased their price objective on Outlook Therapeutics from $35.00 to $33.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, September 3rd. Chardan Capital restated a “neutral” rating on shares of Outlook Therapeutics in a research note on Monday, December 2nd. Finally, BTIG Research lowered their price target on shares of Outlook Therapeutics from $50.00 to $9.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, November 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $32.73. Outlook Therapeutics Company Profile ( Get Free Report ) Outlook Therapeutics, Inc, operates as a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, focuses on developing and commercializing monoclonal antibodies for various ophthalmic indications. Its lead product candidate is ONS-5010, an ophthalmic formulation of bevacizumab product candidate that is in Phase-III clinical trial for the treatment of wet age-related macular degeneration and other retina diseases. Recommended Stories Receive News & Ratings for Outlook Therapeutics Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Outlook Therapeutics and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter .President-elect Donald Trump's transition team is grappling with internal strife over the alleged conduct of a senior and longtime adviser, Boris Epshteyn, who has been accused by at least one Republican politician of trying to profit personally from his ability to influence Trump's Cabinet picks. Former Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens submitted a sworn declaration to the transition team alleging that "Mr. Epshteyn's overall tone and behavior gave me the impression of an implicit expectation to engage in business dealings with him before he would advocate for or suggest my appointment to the President." "This created a sense of unease and pressure on my part," said the declaration, which was first obtained by the online publication Just the News and shared with CBS News. Greitens and his attorney, Timothy Parlatore, authenticated the one-page document to CBS News. Parlatore confirmed to CBS News that the declaration was submitted in connection with an internal investigation that is being conducted by David Warrington, who served as general counsel to the Trump campaign. According to Parlatore, Warrington interviewed Greitens about his interaction with Epshteyn late last week and then asked Greitens to submit the declaration. Warrington has not responded to a request for comment. "It was important to me to protect the president because I was concerned about the ethics of what was happening," Greitens told CBS News. "Very specifically, I was concerned that there was an offer to advance a nomination in return for financial payments." Epshteyn told CBS News he is "honored to work for President Trump and with his team." "These fake claims are false and defamatory and will not distract us from Making America Great Again," Epshteyn said in his statement. The Trump transition team confirmed it had conducted a review and now intended to move on from the issue, as first reported by CNN . "As is standard practice, a broad review of the campaign's consulting agreements has been conducted and completed, including as to Boris, among others," said transition spokesman Steven Cheung. "We are now moving ahead together as a team to help President Trump Make America Great Again." Epshteyn has been a near-constant figure by Trump's side in recent years, buoying him on air and helping to coordinate his multiple legal teams behind closed doors. Those teams have had unquestionable success, impeding Trump's two federal criminal cases before they could get to trial, and stymying a state case against Trump in Georgia. Trump was convicted in the one case that went to trial, in New York, but recently the sentencing in that case was postponed indefinitely. On Monday, special counsel Jack Smith asked a federal district court to dismiss the charges against Trump stemming from an alleged scheme to subvert the transfer of power after the 2020 election, and he also sought to end his bid to revive the case against Trump arising from his alleged mishandling of sensitive government documents. A native of Russia who emigrated to New Jersey with his family when he was 11, Epshteyn was brought into the Trump sphere by Georgetown University classmate Eric Trump. He started as a low-level staffer during Trump's first run for office and was able to parlay that into a junior position on the White House communications team. Two months later he abruptly resigned over circumstances that remain unclear, but by then he had managed to win over Trump as his loyal confidant and fixer. Epshteyn supporters praise his ability to execute orders and resolve problems, which they attribute to a frenetic energy, his bulldog personality and a cunning understanding of the political dynamics of Trump's advisers. Epshteyn has become so close to Trump that the president-elect jokingly refers to Epshteyn as "my psychiatrist," The New York Times first noted. According to multiple sources, Epshteyn's access to Trump is at times only rivaled by family members. In the weeks since Trump won his second term as president, Epshteyn has been a mainstay in discussions about filling out the Cabinet. The New York Times reported Epshteyn played a critical role in recommending former Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz to serve as attorney general, a bid that ultimately failed to win favor and was withdrawn. The status of Epshteyn's consulting business while assisting in the transition is unclear. But prior to the 2024 election, the business appeared to be robust. A review of publicly available records indicate his firm has been paid more than $1 million from Trump's campaigns and aligned PACs since 2020, and another $1.2 million by other campaigns. While there is nothing new about political consultants — on both sides of the aisle — using their connections, interviews with about two dozen advisers, lawyers and allies of Trump reveal Epshteyn's political consulting work has bred both praise and resentment. CBS News spoke with more than half a dozen Republican candidates who have engaged with Epshteyn. Many described his pitch, offering an array of services, including "strategic advice" on messaging and boosting a candidate's social media presence. But nearly everyone interviewed said his access to Trump had allure. Ahead in the polls as his Republican Senate primary approached in 2022, Don Bolduc wanted to make sure Trump didn't play spoiler by endorsing one of his New Hampshire rivals. Bolduc said he turned to Epshteyn "to run interference inside the Trump circle." A service like that doesn't come cheap. "I thought $100,000 was a lot of money for what we were asking, but that's what was paid," said Bolduc, who added "no guarantee" was given by Epshteyn that Trump wouldn't endorse a rival. Bolduc won his primary after Trump stayed neutral. He told CBS News that while it appeared to him that he got what he paid for, the experience left him feeling disillusioned with the transactional side of elections. After the campaign ended in general election defeat, Bolduc said he chose to leave politics for good. "There's nothing honorable about politics," said Bolduc, a retired Army brigadier general. After his failed Senate race, Bolduc enrolled in a police academy and became a rookie small-town cop at age 60. Among those who hired Epshteyn for his campaign services in the past was Greitens, who served as Missouri governor during a portion of the first Trump term. In the weeks since Trump won reelection, Greitens said he contacted Epshteyn for assistance to be considered for an appointment as U.S. Navy secretary. "During the conversation, despite the absence of an explicit offer, Mr. Epshteyn's comments and demeanor suggested that he might entertain offering a position in the administration in exchange for financial consideration, but such an offer would happen in a subsequent discussion," Greitens wrote. "He stated that there would be 'time for that later' and that it was 'not time for that yet.'" "Mr. Epshteyn's overall tone and behavior gave me the impression of an implicit expectation to engage in business dealings with him before he would advocate for or suggest my appointment to the President," Greitens wrote. "This created a sense of unease and pressure on my part." Donald Trump Daniel Klaidman, an investigative reporter based in New York, is the former editor-in-chief of Yahoo News and former managing editor of Newsweek. He has over two decades of experience covering politics, foreign affairs, national security and law.

Tech rally, Powell comments boost indexes to record closing highs{ "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "NewsArticle", "dateCreated": "2024-12-04T21:23:30+02:00", "datePublished": "2024-12-04T21:23:30+02:00", "dateModified": "2024-12-05T06:51:58+02:00", "url": "https://www.newtimes.co.rw/article/22351/news/economy/pay-rise-should-precede-pension-contribution-increase-labour-unions", "headline": "Pay rise should precede pension contribution increase – labour unions", "description": "Labour unions have urged the government to prioritize raising workers’ salaries to address the high cost of living before implementing proposed...", "keywords": "", "inLanguage": "en", "mainEntityOfPage":{ "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://www.newtimes.co.rw/article/22351/news/economy/pay-rise-should-precede-pension-contribution-increase-labour-unions" }, "thumbnailUrl": "https://www.newtimes.co.rw/thenewtimes/uploads/images/2024/12/04/65626.jpg", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://www.newtimes.co.rw/thenewtimes/uploads/images/2024/12/04/65626.jpg" }, "articleBody": "Labour unions have urged the government to prioritize raising workers’ salaries to address the high cost of living before implementing proposed increases in pension contributions. Their reactions come amid the government’s proposed pension reforms that are due to take effect in January 2025. They include increasing monthly pension contributions from the current 6 per cent of an employee’s monthly basic salary to 12 per cent of their monthly gross salary. ALSO READ: Mandatory pension contributions to double in January Also, the pension contribution rate is expected to gradually increase further to 20 per cent of the employee’s gross salary by the year 2030, and will be split equally between the employer and employee, as Rwanda Social Security Board (RSSB) – the administrator of the mandatory pension scheme – indicated in a statement on November 28. According to the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning, the reforms are expected to ensure long-term sustainability of the pension fund, improve the living conditions of the existing retirees and ensure social security for future generations. Labour unions expressed concern over a lack of consultation with workers’ representatives so that they provide inputs to proposed changes, instead of imposing them on employees – for which the pension scheme ideally exists – as contributors and ultimately beneficiaries. ALSO READ: Labour union appeals for pay rise amid high cost of living Africain Biraboneye, the General Secretary of Rwanda Workers’ Trade Union Confederation (CESTRAR) said that normally, increasing pension contribution rate per se is okay, as long as the employee is guaranteed more retirement benefits. “However, it comes when we have been indicating that there is a need for reforms for salaries to match prices on the market. Increasing [pension] contribution rate will result in the reduction of the even small pay an employee has been receiving, which will affect living conditions,” he said. “We think that it should be carefully considered with the participation of all stakeholders as it is done for labour law [review] whereby representatives of employers and employees are consulted and provide their inputs on their behalf,” he observed. ALSO READ: Should RSSB increase pension contributions? Eric Nzabandora, president of Labour Congress and Workers’ Brotherhood in Rwanda (COTRAF Rwanda) said that they have been advocating for setting up a minimum wage that responds to the current market realities but this has not yet been done. He added that while they have been pushing for increasing workers’ salaries to deal with the rise in the cost of living, no solution has been provided to that end. For Nzabandora, increasing pension contributions to come from the small remunerations an employee has been getting, should not be a priority, but rather, it should follow the raise in workers’ pay and their ability to meet their basic needs amid the current high cost of living. He held that it is an employee’s salary that is mainly factored in while determining the pension benefits they will get during retirement, rather than contribution rate. “When an employee’s salary is small, they will not get significant retirement benefits,” he said. As RSSB made many investments using employees’ contributions (savings), and therefore, Nzabandora said, it should show how they are managed and contribute to social security. He added that they want to understand how RSSB arrived at the proposed pension contribution rates. Labour unions concurred that there should be consultations with employees or their representatives for evidence-based decisions that consider a common ground. Employees should be involved in pension-related decisions Nzabandora decried the fact that workers’ representatives were not consulted regarding the proposed pension reforms yet they concern them as the contributors to the social security scheme. Again, he said, employees are not represented in terms of how RSSB makes investment decisions, despite paying contributions to the scheme. As employees contribute to the social security body, they should also have a say in the decisions regarding contributions – such as through their representatives – so that they provide their ideas before proposed changes are presented to Cabinet [for approval], Nzabandora suggested. While briefing journalists on new reforms on December 2, RSSB Chief Executive Officer Regis Rugemanshuro said that the social security fund (which is pension scheme dominated) currently has about Rwf2.6 trillion in assets. The social security fund is healthy, Rugemanshuro observed, indicating that from 2019/20 to 2023/24, RSSB’s net assets increased by 15 per cent compounded annual growth rate. He added that it registered more than Rwf418 billion in net income (profit) in 2023/24, of which he said Rwf240 billion came from its return on investment which he said was at 11 per cent. ALSO READ: Pension body looks to triple profit by 2025 According to Rugemanshuro, only nine per cent of public and private sector workers in Rwanda are covered by the mandatory pension scheme. This implies that about 90 per cent of Rwanda’s working population is employed in the informal sector and is therefore outside the scheme coverage.", "author": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Emmanuel Ntirenganya" }, "publisher": { "@type": "Organization", "name": "The New Times", "url": "https://www.newtimes.co.rw/", "sameAs": ["https://www.facebook.com/TheNewTimesRwanda/","https://twitter.com/NewTimesRwanda","https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuZbZj6DF9zWXpdZVceDZkg"], "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "/theme_newtimes/images/logo.png", "width": 270, "height": 57 } }, "copyrightHolder": { "@type": "Organization", "name": "The New Times", "url": "https://www.newtimes.co.rw/" } }