NW 14:59:02 24-11-2014
SN1459NW.112
112 ECONOMY - TRADE UNION - RETIREMENT

Trade Union Against Higher Retirement
Age from January
2015


Sofia, November 24 (BTA) - The Confederation of Independent
Trade Unions in Bulgaria (CITUB) wants the retirement age for
all categories of workers to remain unchanged from January 1,
2015, the Union's President Plamen Dimitrov told a news
conference Monday, presenting a position adopted on November 21.

Dimitrov said there was no reason why the policies of the
previous GERB government (2009-2013) should be implemented,
involving a four-month increase in the retirement age every year
and scrapping the option of early retirement for first- and
second-category workers.

Many people across the country claim they cannot accept the
higher retirement age proposed for the coming months. CITUB's
President warned that workers were ready to stage a strike if
the retirement age was changed from January.

The trade union wants the government to immediately start
working with the social partners on the changes needed in social
security legislation so as to stabilize the system and ensure
pensions which are 65 per cent of the retirement wage. LI/DD


/СН/