“The minimum subsistence level must be the unit of measurement for calculating the pensions, salaries and allowances,” Alexandru Oleinic, co-chairman of the People’s Party of Moldova, said in a meeting with residents of Cosauti village of Soroca district. The meeting centered on the social protection of the Moldovans, IPN reports, quoting a communiqué from the party.

“The Government must modify the methodology of calculating the minimum salary and pension, based on the minimum subsistence level. This should be a real figure, based on the social needs and calculated by the department of statistics,” stated Oleinic, adding that life must start with the minimum subsistence level, which should not be a too high ceiling for most of the poor.

The politician said that the pays and pensions must be adjusted. “It’s not normal when the difference between the lowest pension and the highest pension is of 15 times. A teacher or a doctor receives 500 lei, while a functionary can receive even 10,000 lei,” said Oleinic. He specified that the minimum substance level for children in 2012 was 1,507.5 lei, while the childcare alliance was of only 300 lei, for medically uninsured persons.

Oleinic considers that the social protection of the population must be a priority of the new Government, regardless of the severity of the reforms that it intends to implement. The problem of social protection for the Moldovan Governments, especially the pension and salary raises, are measures used for electoral purposes rather than within a stable mechanism for guaranteeing the people’s right to decent living.

According to statistics, the minimum subsistence level in 2012 was 1,507.5 lei. Those living in towns last year needed 1,628.5 lei to pass the poverty line, while those from villages – 1,420.8 lei. The minimum subsistence level for pensioners was 1,302.8 lei.