Thousands of protesters march through the streets of the capital’s center to demand an end to the gender gap in salaries and pensions and a re-evaluation according to the real CPI
Retirees keep pressure on the government despite the decision to include in the General State Budget (PGE) an estimate of the revaluation of pensions of 8.5% for the coming year according to the CPI.
Several associations and movements of this group from many autonomous communities met this Saturday in Madrid to demand the restoration of the purchasing power of pensions, and to implement the increase in accordance with the general CPI planned with a compensatory payment at the end of the year .
In addition, they demand an end to the gender gap in salaries and other benefits. “The pension woes have the face of a woman,” read one of the main banners that have traveled through the center of the capital.
Also one of their demands, which they want to extend in a hot autumn for the Executive, is that the minimum pension is equal to the Minimum Interprofessional Salary (currently 1,000 euros per month), as well as that early voluntary retirement is not penalized.
The protest, which started at noon in Plaza de Neptuno and ended in Callao, is the first step in a general mobilization that organizers plan to carry out in the cities and communities in November.
Among the various convening platforms are organizations of pensioners from Galicia, Andalusia, Extremadura, the Basque Country and Madrid, as well as the State Coordinator for the Defense of the Public Pension System (Coespe), the Association for Early Retirement Without Punishment (Asjubi40) and the General Confederation of Labor (CGT).
“We will continue on the streets until we reverse the counter-reforms being imposed on us, end the gender gap in salaries and pensions, abolish the penalty for early retirement with long-contributory careers, recover the rights lost in successive labor and pension reforms, an equitable generate wealth distribution and improve and guarantee universal and quality public and community services,” the organizers warn.
However, as stated in the General State Budget (PGE) project, pensions will increase by 8.5% in 2023 when applying the rule that links their revaluation to the CPI. Note that this figure is dependent on the final inflation data for November, which is used to calculate the annual average. But the increase will be around that percentage for all pensions.
According to the first estimates, next year the State will set aside 190,687 million euros for the payment of these benefits, approximately 42% of the total budget. This is a historic percentage after an extra payment of almost 19,550 million euros compared to 2022. However, this burden is not only caused by the greater revaluation, but also by the integration of new pensioners into the system.
In view of this situation, the government defends that there is scope to apply its policy in this segment. In fact, this year, as expected by the executive, the Social Security deficit will be reduced to 0.5%. And it is forecast to remain in that vein in 2023, thanks to higher collections from the good employment performance. In addition, the state plans to increase its current transfers to the Ministry of Inclusion and Social Security by about EUR 2,540 million to cover the increase in non-contributory and non-contributory pensions and childcare provision.
Source: La Verdad
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.
