The opposition didn’t give up on the planned pension increase on Sunday.
“The legal adjustment value of 1.8 percent is simply far too little in view of the current inflation of almost three percent. There is still a lot of improvement,” said SP social spokesman Josef Muchitsch. FP social spokeswoman Dagmar Belakowitsch was also annoyed about the inadequate adjustment. This would have to be higher, the luxury and multiple pensions should be frozen in return, complained the freedom. Gerald Loacker of the Neos, on the other hand, criticized the government for quickly distributing candy before the Upper Austrian election.
In fact, the announcement of the annual pension adjustment came as a bit of a surprise. A meeting of the Seniors’ Council with Minister of Social Affairs Wolfgang Mückstein (Greens) would have been agreed for today. This has now been canceled because the top government announced an agreement on Saturday. On the green side, club chairwoman Sigrid Maurer is said to have been in charge of negotiating the details with the Chancellery.
Specifically, the pensions will be increased by 1.8 percent on the basis of inflation compensation. The impairment that has already occurred is taken into account, not the current inflation.
30 euros more
It was agreed that gross pensions will increase by three percent up to 1000 euros, which means 30 euros more per month. From 1,000 to 1,300 euros, a standard rule applies; all pensions that are higher are adjusted by 1.8 percent. Seniors with 2000 euros receive 36 euros more per month. The total cost is 1.1 billion euros.
SP pensioner boss Peter Kostelka fumed about the lack of involvement of the senior citizens’ council in the negotiations. After all, it is customary for the pensioners’ representatives to get involved in the discussions. “I take a critical view of it,” said VP Senior Citizens’ Federation Chairwoman Ingrid Korosec, who was not very pleased with the government’s actions. Overall, she supports the package, but she would have hoped for a more generous adjustment scheme for pensions between EUR 1,000 and EUR 1,500, since inflation is particularly noticeable in this group.
Discussions on another sensitive topic are planned for the coming week: A package of measures to combat poverty is planned, which will primarily affect women. (gana)
