Liwiusz Laska, the head of Poland’s Social Insurance Institution (ZUS), has firmly rejected the idea of introducing seniority pensions, arguing that the concept raises more questions than answers. Instead, he points to bridge pensions as a more viable solution for certain groups of workers.
– If we assume that a woman could retire after 35 years of work and started her career at age 17, that would mean finishing work at around 52. We must ask ourselves whether we truly want to create such a system – Laska said in an interview with 'Rzeczpospolita’.
He also listed several critical unknowns: Would the pension capital still be indexed until reaching the standard retirement age? Would the benefit be available to everyone or only to those who have accumulated enough to cover at least the minimum pension? Would it be possible to draw the pension while still working full time?
The fiscal burden of early retirement
According to Laska, earlier retirement automatically means additional costs for the entire system. Benefits are financed not only from the insured person’s accumulated capital but also through the indexation mechanism. In practice, this involves public funds.
– I am not against discussing seniority pensions, but I believe it should be based on concrete solutions, not just a catchy slogan – he added.
Bridge pensions as a more targeted tool
The ZUS president sees greater potential in bridge pensions, especially for workers in particularly arduous or hazardous jobs. In this context, he suggests reconsidering how such a system is financed.
– If certain positions inevitably lead to early career termination, perhaps they should be covered by a different contribution rate. Today, part of the cost of bridge pensions is borne by society as a whole. Perhaps we should look for another way to finance them – Laska said.
Źródło: wnp.pl, Fot. alexgo.photography / Shutterstock
