Minister of Labor Luka Mesec assured after the government meeting that emergency measures will be used to help especially the most vulnerable groups of pensioners. At the same time, everyone’s pensions will rise by 1.8 percent in November, and this will apply until the reconciliation in February.
According to him, the government has a financial framework of 100 million euros, which the state can allocate this year to solving the situation of pensioners. According to him, the four measures will provide the most targeted help to those groups that are most at risk among pensioners.
The first group is the disabled or disabled pensioners, of which as much as 37 percent live below the poverty line. “After 1 January 2024, those disabled people who worked part-time will be treated as if they worked full-time, so that their pension basis will increase,” announced Minister Mesec.
The following are common widows and widowers, since among them every fourth household lives below the poverty line. “Therefore, where both spouses were already retired, but one of them died, the remaining member of the family will receive at least the minimum guaranteed pension, which will now be 700 euros per month“, explained the minister.
The third measure is raising all pensions by 1.8 percent from November 1 of this year. According to the minister, “this means that the guaranteed pension will be as we promised in the coalition agreement, i.e. 700 euros per month.” The guaranteed pension will also apply in January, but there will be a new adjustment in February.
The last government measure is that pensioners will receive in June annual allowance between 145 and 455 euros – depending on the amount of the pension. At the same time, this year they will receive more winter annual supplement, which will amount to 40 percent of this amount. “This is an extraordinary measure taken by the government,” added the Moon.
Pensioners union for 3.5% rise
The pensioners’ union calls on Golob to carry out an extraordinary adjustment of pensions in the amount of 3.5 percent, as already proposed by the board of the pension institute. They reminded that a few days ago they sent a letter to the Prime Minister together with the Association of Pensioners’ Associations of Slovenia, in which they proposed a one-percent adjustment due to the too low adjustment during the previous government, due to the extraordinary adjustment of 3.5 percent.
They also have comments on the arrangement of the Christmas card or winter allowance. It should be paid in the amount of the average pension for everyone equally, they urged.
SDS proposes a 3.5% increase in pensions
This year, therefore, there will be no extraordinary increase in pensions, which was requested at the Zpiza assembly.
In the largest opposition party, SDS, they proposed convening an extraordinary session of the DZ for Friday, at which they would propose recommendations to the government to improve the situation of pensioners. Among other things, the party proposes that the government follow the decision of Zpiza and adjust pensions by 3.5 percent and an additional one percent for those who retired before 2011.
Pensions were adjusted regularly by only 5.2 percent, while social transfers, on the other hand, were adjusted by 10 percent. “With such a government policy, pensioners therefore rightly feel unworthy and forgotten, in times of need they are forced to collect signatures on the street for what they actually earned through their work and payments into the pension fund.” said the SDS member of parliament Carmen Furman.
Therefore, among their proposals is that the government should prepare a legislative proposal by June 30, which will be the basis for raising all pensions, especially those up to 1,500 euros. By July 1st, the legal condition for obtaining the child care allowance should be abolished, namely that the mandatory declaration of the child’s assets, which confirms that he cannot support his parents, should be abolished. “In the SDS parliamentary group, we therefore offer the government coalition a hand of cooperation with these recommendations and hope that this time reason will prevail in such important decisions, and not political manipulation,” Furman emphasized, according to STA.
Month: An extraordinary increase in pensions would be less fair
Regarding the reasons why they will not follow Zpiz’s request for a 3.5% extraordinary increase in pensions, Minister Mesec said that it would be less fair than what they accepted. “This means that everyone would receive a 3.5 percent higher pension, and you can calculate how much someone with a pension of 700 euros per month would receive and how much someone with 2,100 euros per month would receive – those with a higher pension would receive higher amount.”
Pensioners are plagued by high prices and rising costs of daily necessities, which is why, according to the minister, they decided to use targeted measures to help the most socially vulnerable pensioners. Those with the lowest pensions will receive the most with the annual supplement, he assured.
Source: Rtvslo
