The SPÖ and FPÖ have criticized the model presented by the government to increase pensions next year (see video above). “Don’t be fooled”, red deputy club manager Jörg Leichtfried fears that there will only be a 5.8 percent increase and one-off payments, which, however, will “fall out of the blue”. “The minimum pensioners are helped, but then an ice-cold expropriation of the pensions begins,” laments the liberal spokeswoman for seniors Rosa Ecker. For NEOS, the result is “virtually acceptable”, the seniors’ association ÖVP sees its requirements “fulfilled in some respects”.
According to Leichtfried, the government has missed the opportunity to “sustainably” adapt the pension system to the currently extremely difficult situation. Bills rose “explosively” and people with small pensions were impoverished, the red deputy club boss warned. He also finds scaling up the increase if someone retires during the year ‘not fair’.
FPÖ: “cheating horses”
Criticism also came from liberal social spokeswoman Dagmar Belakowitsch: “The pension package presented sounds ‘very nice’ at first glance, but on closer inspection it turns out to be pure horse fraud and far from a package of measures.” Wednesday in the Social Affairs Committee, which requires, among other things, a “real inflation adjustment”, ie a quarterly adjustment if inflation develops above 10 percent.
NEOS: “Hardly accountable”
NEOS economic and social spokesman Gerald Loacker, on the other hand, praised the fact that the federal government had not given in to the “completely exaggerated demands of the pensioners’ representatives”. This gives hope that the ÖVP and the Greens are slowly realizing that the money “has not been abolished completely”. “What came out in the end is almost right.” Extra increases would in any case be at the expense of workers, who would have to accept collective agreements below 5.8 percent.
ÖVP: “Don’t abandon retirees”
The People’s Party Secretary-General Christian Stocker emphasized: “The People’s Party will not disappoint the pensioners. The older generation in particular is being hit hard by the current crises such as inflation. It is important to us that everyone who has worked hard for decades and has deposited into the system, should be rewarded accordingly when he retires.
Seniors association “reasonably satisfied”
President of the Seniors Association and head of the Seniors Council Ingrid Korosec (ÖVP) was reasonably satisfied. “My demand was that low and middle pension recipients should have a pension package that dampens inflation. With the presented agreement on pension adjustments, the federal government has met my demands on a number of points.”
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
