Belarusian president Alyaksandr Lukashenka is leaning toward of gradually raising the pension age by three years, he said at today’s meeting with workers of Kommunarka confectionery factory.
“I think that we should do it gradually and in a calm manner. I am in favor of raising the pension age by three years, by six months every year. As a result, the retirement age will be increased by three years in six or seven years,” state-run news agency BelTA quotes Lukashenka as saying.
As reported earlier, a week ago Alyaksandr Lukashenka spoke out in favour of raising the retirement age ‘for everyone’. In Belarus, women go on pension at 55 while men retire at 60.
“This is why 55-60 years is a normal age. If you tell a 55-year-old woman that she is old or a pensioner, she will be offended! But if we try to offer jobs to the same woman saying she is not old, she may change her mind. The same can be said about men. They pretend not to be offended, but deep in mind, they feel aggrieved. A man at the age of 60 is a horse to plough with,” Lukashenka said.
According to economist Barys Zhaliba, the Belarusian authorities should have raised the pebsion age 10-15 years ago. In this case, introducing such measure would not have been very painful for Belarusians, the expert told Belsat TV.
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Read also: Retirement age in Belarus not to be raised in 2016
belsat.eu, following BelTA
