The LCGB trade union came forward on Tuesday 12 January 2016 to condemn the recent rise in pension prices in structures for the elderly, whcih it claimed was forcing more and more senior citizens to sacrifice their personal resources accrued over a lifetime.

The LCGB incited the government to action, warning that the 0.5% increase in pensions announced last October would not compensate for increated pension prices and that many pensioners would be forced to depend on support from the National Solidarity Fund (FNS).

According to the trade union, the legal framework for geriatric undertaking by the FNS had not been adapted to reflect the reality on the ground since 2004, indicating that state contribution and the government's calculation basis were not sufficient to guarantee stable conditions for the elderly. It pushed for the gerontological system to be redesigned and provided earlier to patients and with more substantial amounts available.

The LCGB described the policy of price increased as "unacceptable, notable because the assistance and care sector is heavily subsidised by public funds", calling for a "thorough analysis of pension prices to make them more transparent for both sector institutions as well as beneficiaries of the system".

 

Photo by Arman Zhenikiyev