Page 10 - ARUBA TODAY

A10 WORLD NEWS
Saturday 8 September 2018
Russian pension reform hits vulnerable age group of over-50s

By NATALIYA VASILYEVA man."
MOSCOW (AP) — When 52- Since the collapse of the
year old accountant Ma- Soviet Union, the Russian
rina Grigoryeva was laid off labor market has favored
this year, she figured that at workers in their 30s and
least she would be eligible early 40s, with incomes and
for a state pension in three job opportunities declining
years' time. But measures rapidly for people in their
announced by President 50s, says Marina Kolosnit-
Vladimir Putin last week syna, economics profes-
mean that Grigoryeva, sor at the Higher School of
who has been looking for a Economics in Moscow.
job for over six months, will Many highly-skilled profes-
have to wait eight years in- sionals with university de-
stead. grees who lose their jobs in
A planned hike in the retire- their 50s end up working as
ment age yanks away the street cleaners or janitors,
safety net for millions of Rus- says Kolosnitsyna.
sians in their 50s, core Putin Russians, meanwhile, are
supporters who struggle to growing weary as the
hold down a job, let alone economy sags. A poll by
find a new one, and have the Levada pollster re-
come to rely on pensions leased Thursday showed
as a meagre but secure that 48 percent of Rus-
source of income at a time sians are worried of losing
of economic uncertainty. their job, up 15 points from
"You can't get by on the a year earlier. The unem-
benefits at all," said Grigo- ployment rate is at a re-
ryeva, who has worked cord low below 5 percent,
for the Moscow City Tele- but that statistic does not
phone Network for nearly count people who do not
30 years. She is entitled to both to register for unem-
5,000 rubles ($73) a month ployment benefits, which
in unemployment bene- In this file photo taken on Saturday, July 28, 2018, an elderly woman holds a poster reads "Want to are meager. And employ-
fits, which is half what the Retire, it's time to change the authority!" during a rally protesting retirement age hikes in Moscow, ment does not guarantee
government says is the Russia. a good life, either: about
minimum subsistence level. Associated Press 5 million Russians have jobs
And it's only a tenth of the that pay less than the sub-
average salary in Moscow, survey by the Levada poll- er to Medvedev when he which the robber goes: "I'm sistence level of about $150
where she lives. ster shows that 53 percent was president, says the pro- asking you to be under- a month.
A recent opinion poll shows of Russians are ready to posed changes are a "big standing of this." The political opposition to
Putin's approval ratings protest against the amend- mistake" because they will Putin proposed amend- Putin is hoping to capitalize
crashed this summer fol- ments and that 77 percent sideline lower income Rus- ments to soften the reform, on the unpopular policy.
lowing the announcement would vote against them at sians who rely on state pen- including benefits like free Opposition leader and an-
of the pension reform, while a referendum. The surveys sion as an important source public transport for some ti-corruption campaigner
an increasing number of were held in July and Au- of income. and early retirement for Alexei Navalny has an-
Russians say they are ready gust, with a margin of error "This is big for millions of law enforcement officers, nounced nationwide pro-
to take to the streets to pro- of 3.4 percentage points. Russian families," he told a move that Gontmakher tests in dozens of cities on
test it. The president even The outrage stems in part The Associated Press. "All says will undermine the Sunday, though he will be
made a televised address from the fact that life ex- of a sudden these people goal of saving money. unable to attend because
to the nation to explain the pectancy in Russia lags will have lost nearly half of 55-year old Pavel Pershin, a Moscow court has sent
need for a higher retire- that in Europe or the United their (expected pension) who registered as unem- him to prison for a month.
ment age and announce States, with the proposed incomes." ployed for the first time this Accountant Grigoryeva
some concessions. pension age for men just In his televised address, year, says he would not be recalls being "speech-
Putin had initially tried to two years below the life Putin warned that without thinking of retiring if the job less" when the retirement
keep a distance from the expectancy of 67. It is also such a move, the pension prospects for someone his change was announced,
politically sensitive pro- due to the fact that Rus- system "would crack and age were not so grim. Jobs which in her mind shows
posal. It was announced sians over 50 are finding eventually collapse." He in the private sector, where that the Kremlin was advo-
instead by Prime Minister it increasingly difficult to offered assurances that Pershin earlier worked for cating "policies completely
Dmitry Medvedev in June keep a job or find a new the state will take care of over 25 years ago in an air- against the interests of the
— on the day the World one. the over-50s, including a plane engine factory, are people." She has never
Cup kicked off in Russia. For the public finances, the vague promise of jobs, and drying up in an economy been to a rally but now is
The plan was initially to raise hike in the retirement age wrapped up his speech battered by Western sanc- entertaining the idea of
the pension age by eight was long overdue. As the with: "I'm asking you to be tions and a weaker ruble. taking to the streets.
years to 63 for women and workforce shrinks, the gov- understanding of this." "If the economy was grow- She says she would love to
five years to 65 for men by ernment spends more on The reform and Putin's ad- ing well, then yes, raise the keep working as long as she
2023, though the increase pensions every year, ear- dress became fodder for pension age all you want," can but the question looms
for women was eventually marking 3.3 trillion rubles jokes and Internet memes. he says. "I'd love to be able for many Russians who are
trimmed to five years. ($48 billion) in 2018, even One shows a thug de- to pay (taxes) if I was able simply too ill to work in their
The reform is Putin's most more than on defense. manding money from a to find decent work, but I early 60s: "Those who have
unpopular move in more Yevgeny Gontmakher, passer-by, who screams don't want to go and work no energy left... How are
than a decade. A recent who served as a top advis- "But that's a robbery!" To as a janitor or a moving they going to survive?"q