The Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration proposes to extend from two to three years the possibility of early partial retirement in general, under certain conditions that seek to preserve the balance of the system.
This proposal was discussed at a recent meeting of the negotiating committee on Social Security, where issues such as the collaboration of mutual insurance companies with Social Security, reduction coefficients for certain activities and the compatibility between work and pension were also addressed.
Partial retirement
The Government is optimistic about the proximity of an agreement with the social partners regarding pensions and Social Security, although the unions express their discontent at the absence of written proposals from the Ministry led by Elma Saiz.
In relation to general partial retirement, an increase in the advance period is proposed and improvements in the working conditions of the relief worker are suggested, as well as a more balanced and flexible approach for the company in terms of the organisation of the working day.
UGT warns that the downside to this three-year advance is the need to accumulate 38.5 years of contributions. Without this contributory history, workers would not be able to benefit from this form of retirement. For partial retirement in the manufacturing industry, UGT points out that it proposes raising the necessary contribution period from 33 to 35 years, also three years in advance.
The Ministry has announced that it has proposed a regulation on partial retirement that seeks to extend the special regulation for workers in the manufacturing industry, with adjustments that converge towards ordinary partial retirement.
The unions, for their part, regret the lack of written proposals and criticise what they perceive as improvisation on the part of the Government. Although the Ministry hopes to reach an agreement before the end of July, the unions see this as unlikely if the texts of the proposals are not quickly finalised. There is also concern about the absence of a gender perspective in the negotiations and about what UGT considers to be a worsening of the years of contributions required to access partial retirement and the replacement contract.
The government and social partners are scheduled to meet again next Monday at 10:30 in the morning, with the expectation that the Ministry will present proposals in writing.
