Tomas: Gov't Will Seek to Introduce Retirement Age Caps for Some Professions

Bratislava/Senec, 4 June (TASR) - The government will seek to introduce retirement age caps, at least for certain categories of professions, said Labour Minister Erik Tomas (Voice-SD) in a speech at the 9th congress of the KOVO Trade Union held in Senec (Bratislava region) on Thursday.
        "I have to say one thing that troubles me a great deal, and that is a commitment from the government manifesto. I can't imagine people retiring at an unreasonably high age. I simply can't imagine people being literally carried out of factories straight to the cemeteries," stated Tomas.
        He noted that the retirement age cap was scrapped by the previous government. "As we've found out, the problem is even much broader. That's why I'm concerned that the former government called linking the retirement age to the average life expectancy a reform and included this reform in the recovery plan. This means that we now have to negotiate with the European Commission on whether introducing a retirement age cap, at least for certain categories of professions, such as demanding or high-risk jobs, would not constitute a reversal of a milestone in the recovery plan, in which case Slovakia could face sanctions and the loss of a significant portion of EU funds," he said.
        "It was the former government that put us in this situation, and at the moment our hands are tied if we want to cap a retirement age. However, we'll certainly work on it; we're in intensive communication with the European Commission and, depending on what it tells us, we'll act accordingly," stressed the minister.
        The KOVO trade union has been pushing for a long time for employees working in risk categories 3 to 4 to be able to retire earlier, said KOVO Council chair Monika Benedekova. "This is one of our key demands. We know that a similar change was adopted in the Czech Republic last year or the year before last, and employees in risk category 4 can retire earlier now," she said. "Our demand is that early retirement should not result in a reduction of the old-age pension granted to employees," she added.
        "I believe that the Labour Ministry has reflected on our demand and understands that employees feel the need for work in risk categories 3 to 4 to be taken into account when it comes to their retirement age. It's not easy to discuss these matters at the moment, given the state of public finances. On the other hand, our analyses have shown that there are only some 200,000 employees in Slovakia working in risk categories 3 and 4. Of course, not all of them would retire at the same time," added Benedekova.