The discussion about cuts in the so-called hacking regulation caused a bad breath on Saturday among the senior representatives, who otherwise appeared unanimously. The reason for this is the praise of Ingrid Korosec, chairwoman of the ÖVP senior citizens' union, for the measure. Korosec is saying goodbye as a senior representative, then railed the Vice President of the Red Pensioners Association (PVÖ), Harry Kopietz. He suspects a “stable order” from the ÖVP.
“We have always criticized early retirement without deductions as an unfair solution from which practically only men with an already high pension benefit,” said Korosec in a broadcast and recalled: “The SPÖ with Social Affairs Minister Rudolf Hundstorfer has this system in common with the ÖVP for good reason abolished and a bonus-malus system implemented from 2014. ” Together with the FPÖ, however, the SPÖ made a U-turn in 2019 and broke this principle in order to attract votes shortly before the election.
At the same time, the federal government is creating a new instrument in the fight against poverty in old age with the early starter bonus, believes Korosec, who celebrates her 80th birthday on Sunday. Kopietz from the SPÖ Pensioners Association cannot agree with this: “Her own party is cutting pension adjustments and introducing discounts for people who have worked for 45 years, and Korosec apparently still approves of the short-ÖVP's pension robbery,” wrote he asks himself: “Who wants to be represented in this way?”
Korosec is not only in a clinch with Kopietz, but also with PVÖ chairman Peter Kostelka. She was “extremely surprised” by his criticism of the aliquoting introduced for the first pension adjustment. “I like to remind my colleague Kostelka that we decided and called for this aliquoting as a fair solution for the first pension adjustment several times in the Seniors' Council,” she said. The fact that Kostelka now speaks of “pension robbery” is “strange to say the least”.
Pension reform
The National Council passed the pension reform yesterday evening with a coalition majority. This means that from 2022 discounts (of 4.2 percent) will apply to the “hackers' regulation”; they can still be started after 45 insurance years from 62 years Pension is increased (maximum 60). The prerequisite is that 12 months and a total of 25 years have been worked before the 20th birthday.
