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OPPOSITION TO MANDATORY DEDUCTIONS: LAW ON PENSIONS TO TAKE EFFECT NEXT MONTH
Pensions | 17.12.13 | 16:37
Photolure
By Siranuysh Gevorgyan
ArmeniaNow reporter
While trade centers and supermarkets of Armenia enjoy the growing
holiday whirl, several hundred, mostly young, residents of Yerevan
are out ignoring the bitter cold of mid-December, demanding that
authorities listen to them.
The four non-pro-establishment parliament factions filed a motion
to the Constitutional Court (CC) Tuesday demanding to declare
anti-constitutional and to suspend the application the new law on
Mandatory Pension Savings Fund to come into effect January 1, 2014.
Prior to submitting the motion, those citizens of Armenia protesting
against the law marched from Liberty Square to the CC building chanting
'No to mandatory', 'No, No', 'Suspension'. The young protestors (the
mandatory pension reform applies to residents under 40 years of age)
delivered speeches urging the CC to resist the country leader's,
the parliament speaker's and the prime minister's pressure, reminding
that all three have publicly spoken for the reform.
Protestors say they cannot trust five percent of their salaries to
the pension funds since January, as they have no hope that the savings
made over years would be returned to them after retirement. They insist
that the reform has to be on voluntary basis, rather than mandatory,
and demand to make the respective change.
Meanwhile pro-establishment forces, adamant in their determination to
not allow postponing the application of the law, claim that the reform
would secure a dignified retirement to the citizens of Armenia. The
President has recently spoken in favor of the controversial reform.
"We want to avoid in the future the poor state of things we have
today, related to the social welfare of elderly people. I see the
reforms as something quite positive, and all those who support it
should show very active involvement," Serzh Sargsyan stated at the
economy ministry last week.
The CC representative, who accepted the motion filed by the Armenian
Revolutionary Federation Dashnaktsutyunn (ARF), Heritage, Prosperous
Armenia Party (PAP) and the Armenian National Congress (ANC), said
nothing definite on when the court would consider the motion, since
it had to be studied first.
ARF leader Armen Rustamyan said that the fight would be limited to
the CC, and that if the Court does not satisfy the citizens' motion
they would resort to other legal means of struggle - protests, rallies.
Heritage faction leader Zaruhi Postanjyan, for example, is suggesting
that a pan-national strike be declared. PAP faction secretary Naira
Zohrabyan expressed a hope that "in this case the usual order from
the top would not be effective and a fair decision will be made".
http://armenianow.com/society/pensions/50900/armenia_constitutional_court_pensions_reform_prote st
From: Baghdasarian
Pensions | 17.12.13 | 16:37
Photolure
By Siranuysh Gevorgyan
ArmeniaNow reporter
While trade centers and supermarkets of Armenia enjoy the growing
holiday whirl, several hundred, mostly young, residents of Yerevan
are out ignoring the bitter cold of mid-December, demanding that
authorities listen to them.
The four non-pro-establishment parliament factions filed a motion
to the Constitutional Court (CC) Tuesday demanding to declare
anti-constitutional and to suspend the application the new law on
Mandatory Pension Savings Fund to come into effect January 1, 2014.
Prior to submitting the motion, those citizens of Armenia protesting
against the law marched from Liberty Square to the CC building chanting
'No to mandatory', 'No, No', 'Suspension'. The young protestors (the
mandatory pension reform applies to residents under 40 years of age)
delivered speeches urging the CC to resist the country leader's,
the parliament speaker's and the prime minister's pressure, reminding
that all three have publicly spoken for the reform.
Protestors say they cannot trust five percent of their salaries to
the pension funds since January, as they have no hope that the savings
made over years would be returned to them after retirement. They insist
that the reform has to be on voluntary basis, rather than mandatory,
and demand to make the respective change.
Meanwhile pro-establishment forces, adamant in their determination to
not allow postponing the application of the law, claim that the reform
would secure a dignified retirement to the citizens of Armenia. The
President has recently spoken in favor of the controversial reform.
"We want to avoid in the future the poor state of things we have
today, related to the social welfare of elderly people. I see the
reforms as something quite positive, and all those who support it
should show very active involvement," Serzh Sargsyan stated at the
economy ministry last week.
The CC representative, who accepted the motion filed by the Armenian
Revolutionary Federation Dashnaktsutyunn (ARF), Heritage, Prosperous
Armenia Party (PAP) and the Armenian National Congress (ANC), said
nothing definite on when the court would consider the motion, since
it had to be studied first.
ARF leader Armen Rustamyan said that the fight would be limited to
the CC, and that if the Court does not satisfy the citizens' motion
they would resort to other legal means of struggle - protests, rallies.
Heritage faction leader Zaruhi Postanjyan, for example, is suggesting
that a pan-national strike be declared. PAP faction secretary Naira
Zohrabyan expressed a hope that "in this case the usual order from
the top would not be effective and a fair decision will be made".
http://armenianow.com/society/pensions/50900/armenia_constitutional_court_pensions_reform_prote st
From: Baghdasarian