“You know my opinion on the issue. We told people that with a certain retirement age we would have a certain amount of the pension fund that will be divided between all pensioners,” the Head of State said. He explained that the number of working people who make social contributions from their salaries decreases every year. “People know the situation. There is no need to go over the issue continually,” he added.
Mr. Lukashenko believes it’s inadmissible to dismiss retired employees who are able to work for longer. “The media often report on the position of some business leaders and policies that allow them to dismiss people as soon as they reach retirement age. They say the situation is not easy now. This should not be allowed! If a person wants to work, if they can work — then let them. Otherwise, the slogan of the social state will remain just a slogan,” the President stressed.
“We need to be humane in our dealings with our workers. If some business managers don’t understand this then they should be fired. They would not be able to find jobs without the authorities’ notice. I urge you against a formal approach to implementing my instructions,” Mr. Lukashenko added.
The President also reminded those present that the needs of pensioners and other vulnerable people should always be reconsidered. “There is no thought of the coming elections in my opinion on this issue,” he added.
By Vladimir Velikhov
