The reformation of the pension system means not only the adjustment of the normative framework, designation of new formulas for calculating pensions and ensuring of equality, but also increased responsibility on the part of employers and employees, Minister of Labor, Social Protection and Family Valentina Buliga said in the program “Replica” on Prime TV channel, IPN reports.
According to Valentina Buliga, society does not realize that the pension is an insured risk and everyone’s responsibility, not a present from the state. There are cases when the employers do not pay social contributions, while some of the employees do not understand that their pension depends directly on their salary. “Society should have confidence in the social insurance system that is closely connected with the salary system. The attitude to this system should be changed,” she stated. She added that the public discussions on the given reform, initiated recently, will involve all the social partners as well as civil society, experts and the general public so as to find the best pension model for Moldova.
Alexandru Fala, program director at the think tank “Expert Grup”, said the reform of the pension system is a complex and multidimensional one that includes the rise in pensions according to a certain formula on a regular basis and maintaining or increase in the retirement age. There should be also developed private pension funds. But this depends on the people’s confidence in the capital market and on the economic state of the country. “The cases that involved “Agroindbank” and “Banca de Economii” discourage the economic entities from developing private pension funds,” he stated.
Oleg Budza, chairman of the Confederation of Trade Unions of Moldova, said the pressure on the pension system increases also because most of the companies declare salaries of under 1,400 lei. As a result, the amounts transferred to the pension fund are lower. The employees support their employers in these acts and do not think about the invalids, pensioners, etc. The citizen does not feel an integral part of this process.
Statistics show that two employees now contribute to the pension of an elderly person at a time when the ratio of tax payers to pensioners should be 4:1 or 5:1. The average pension in Moldova is about 900 lei, while the minimum subsistence level is 1,300 lei.
