Senior Representatives Demand Compensation for Inflation for Small Pensions
The coalition has agreed on the pension adjustment for 2026. The specific result is to be presented on Friday morning at a press conference by the main negotiators around Social Minister Korinna Schumann (SPÖ). The pensioners' representatives are not on board. In a statement from the Senior Citizens' Council, it was emphasized that no agreement could be reached in the discussions. Before that, a second and final round of negotiations had taken place.
How the result turned out was not initially communicated. According to various media reports ("Heute", Ö1, "Presse"), for incomes up to 2,500 euros, the inflation of 2.7 percent is to be compensated. For pensions above that, there will only be a fixed amount. This means that the higher the pension, the lower the percentage adjustment. Overall, they apparently aim for a value of around 2.2 percent, which would not be far above the target value of Chancellor Christian Stocker (ÖVP) of two percent.
"The 2.7 percent for the small ones are beyond question"
Senior representatives had once again addressed the public in the morning to express their protest against an adjustment below the inflation rate. For the pensioners' representatives, it was clear that at least for low pensions, compensation for inflation must be beyond discussion: "The 2.7 percent for the small ones are beyond question," emphasized Senior Citizens' Association Chairwoman Ingrid Korosec (ÖVP). The chairwoman of the Pensioners' Association, Birgit Gerstorfer (SPÖ), stated the goal of preventing "the worst," namely an adjustment below inflation for everyone.
However, Korosec does not see why inflation should not be compensated for everyone. A social gradation could be made as an exception once but should not become a matter of course. Seniors are already more affected by inflation than other groups, as the costs for food and health services have risen more sharply.
It must also be considered that pensioners have already contributed to budget consolidation by increasing their health insurance contributions. In addition, there are new additional costs, such as co-payments for medical transports or more expensive pensioners' tickets, emphasized Korosec.
Pensioners' Representation Disappointed by Government
Overall, the pensioners' representation is disappointed by the government, as reliability and trust are missed in the debate about the adjustment: "We are already missing a bit of appreciation," Korosec stated.
Not much seems to have changed in the final round of negotiations later. A statement emphasizes that no agreement could be reached and that they will not participate in the coalition's press conference tomorrow.
(APA/Red)
This article has been automatically translated, read the original article here.