Pensioners demand that pension increases be linear and equal for everyone

After two years of implementing linear increases, pension adjustments will return in September to a percentage-based model linked to changes in wages and the cost of living. Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski announced that the mechanism established by law would be applied in September, while the final percentage increase has not yet been calculated.

Pensioners will ask Gjoko Velkovski, the minister of social policy, demography and youth, to ensure that future increases are established by law and are equal for everyone, through a fixed amount in denars.

The Initiative for Linear Increases believes that the current percentage-based system deepens the differences between pensioners. According to the initiative, applying the same percentage provides a greater benefit in absolute terms to those receiving higher pensions, and therefore budget funds should be distributed equally.

“The main parameters used to determine a pension—such as years of service, education and place of employment—are included in the pension decision. But after retirement, we all have the same living expenses. All pensioners are equal,” said Kiril Josifovski, chairman of the Pensioners’ Initiative from Ohrid and Debarca.

Trajçe Stanojkov from Sveti Nikole said that applying a percentage does not have the same effect on pensioners with different incomes.

“You cannot give 3 percent to someone who has a pension of 90,000 denars and have them receive 3,000 denars, while someone with a pension of 18,000 or 20,000 denars receives only 600 denars.”

The pensioners’ demand is for linear increases to be included in the law and for their implementation to begin with next March’s adjustment. They also called for the dismissal of Stanka Trajkovska, chairwoman of the Association of Pensioners of Macedonia, because of her opposition to the linear model.