SSM opposes raising the retirement age, calls for retirement based on years of service

The Federation of Trade Unions of Macedonia (SSM) has expressed deep concern over the launch of a debate on raising the age for receiving an old-age pension, describing as particularly alarming the public mention of the possibility of retirement at the age of 72, according to a post they published on social media.

In its reaction, SSM stresses that such proposals have been heard before and that they have come from people who are not workers, to the detriment of workers themselves. According to the union, hasty measures such as increasing the contribution rate or postponing the retirement age have been undertaken only to cover shortfalls in the Pension Fund, but have not provided long-term solutions. On the contrary, the structural problems have remained unresolved and have repeatedly resurfaced.

The union believes the country needs serious policies and measures that would increase youth employment through real and sustainable jobs created by new domestic or foreign investments, as well as through wage increases. According to SSM, this would help increase funds in the Pension and Disability Insurance Fund, reduce poverty, and ensure decent work for all, with labor rights respected in line with international labor standards, so that young people continue to live and work in their own country.

Referring to the “Statistical Yearbook of the Republic of North Macedonia 2025” published by the State Statistical Office, SSM underlines that life expectancy in the country is 76.63 years, raising the question of whether the goal is for citizens to work until the end of their lives instead of retiring.

For this reason, SSM is calling for more retirement options to be introduced, including retirement after 40 years of work experience for men and 35 years of work experience for women, early retirement, the introduction of credited service for construction workers, as well as for other sectors where work is carried out under particularly harsh conditions that are harmful to workers’ lives and health. It also mentions old-age retirement based on age or work experience depending on the industry, early old-age retirement based on age, partial old-age retirement based on age, as well as the possibility of purchasing additional credited service, SSM said./Telegrafi/