THE Court of Appeal on Monday granted conditional leave for two former employees of Gillette Caribbean Ltd to take their grouse to the London-based Privy Council over allocation of the $42-million surplus from the company's wound-up pension fund.

The appellate court had last October ruled that the surplus in the pension fund should be apportioned 50 per cent to the company and 50 per cent to all contributors, including former employees who were not with the company at the time the scheme was discontinued in December 2001.

The two employees, Vivion Scully and Morven Richardson, who were employed to the company at the time the scheme was discontinued, are contending that those who took their contributions and left before the scheme was discontinued were not entitled to the surplus.

The Supreme Court had earlier ruled that the surplus should only be shared equally between Gillette and all the employees at the time of the discontinuance and those who were entitled to receive pension benefits - and that those who received their benefits and left before the discontinuance of the scheme were not entitled to the surplus.

The pension scheme was administered by Life of Jamaica.

Feeding the multitude

DANGEROUS PETS

Pepper Pot