Negotiations on pensions are still on hiatus after the pension group met for discussions at the Ministry of Social Affairs on Wednesday.
According to TT, the government withdraws its criticized proposal, the so-called “Nooshi supplement”, if the opposition agrees to increase the guarantee pension to a minimum of SEK 10,000 a month from 1 August.
The “Nooshi supplement” was negotiated by the Left Party in the autumn of 2021 and was part of the party’s demands to release Magdalena Andersson (S) as Prime Minister.
From the Moderates’ point of view, the response is clear – the compromise proposal is contrary to the principles of the pension system.
– Those who have not worked get a thousand kroner extra and those who have worked get nothing at all. We think that a guiding principle must be that it pays to work, she says.
Maria Malmer Sternergard believes that the Moderates’ proposal is more accurate. The pension for the most disadvantaged will be increased, but the incentive for people to continue working will also be maintained. Something that is absolutely crucial for getting sustainable pensions over time, she says.
The crucial question: The distance of respect
The proposal that is now in the government’s spring change budget thus means that those who worked very little or nothing will receive a higher pension, while those who worked will not receive it. The so-called respect distance, which refers to the difference in pension between those who worked and those who worked part-time or were unemployed, would be reduced by the government’s proposal.
But the chairman of the pension group, Ardalan Shekarabi (S), believes that those who would be allowed to take part in the increase must have worked.
– The women, above all, who are allowed to take part in the highest amounts tax-free from August have worked. But because of what the labor market looked like then, they have a really low pension today.
– We can not accept this gap because it means that we do not show respect for the women who have worn a whole professional life, he continues.
The Moderates’ proposal: Increased pension for all
When asked whether pensioners who are already well off should also be allowed to take part in the increase, Maria Malmer Sternergard says:
– I think it is reasonable that it pays to have worked and if you then increase the pensions for those who have not worked, then you also need to strengthen the pensions for those who have worked.
The moderates want to increase the pensions by, among other things, raising the guarantee pension, the housing supplement and lowering the tax.
Hear more about their views on the proposals in the clip above.