Moldovan trade unionists demand that parliament takes into account their amendments to pension system reform

Chisinau, 9 December /MOLDPRES/ - The National Trade Unions Confederation  (CNSM) has showed discontent with the attitude of the authorities, who ignore the amendments proposed by trade unionists to the draft law on the pension system reform and demand that the parliament consider these amendments in the first reading.   

At a today’s news conference, CNSM head Oleg Budza said the trade unionists supported the draft law on the pension system reform. Yet, the draft must be transparent, fair and should fit the economic situation in Moldova.  

“The draft law’s authors took into account no amendment initiated by the trade unionists and neither they organized public discussions within the commission set up specially to this end. The increase in the retirement age is not the biggest problem, but there are no enough financial resources in the state insurances budget and the latter’s deficit grows each year. The authorities should be concerned about finding additional resources from the formal economy, but not in the increase in the retirement age,” Budza said.

For his part, CNSM deputy head Sergiu Sainciuc said the pension system must be sustainable from the financial viewpoint not on medium term but on long term.  

“The working group on behalf of the trade unions proposed a string of amendments to the draft’s authors, among which: annual recalculation of the pensions for the people who continue working after reaching the retirement age; pensions’ indexation twice a year (on 1 April and 1 October); anticipatory establishment of the age limit pension for insured persons, setting a basic pension for all beneficiaries, etc. All proposals have been vehemently ignored. We were consulted by an expert from Belgium, who approved all our requirements,” Sainciuc noted.    

The government approved the draft law on the pension system reformation on 5 December, and the parliament is to consider it in the first reading today.

(Reporter P. Beregoi, editor A. Raileanu)