'Pension Trap' For Belarusians

Smarhon resident with 29 years of working experience is left without a pension.

A resident of Smarhon found herself jobless and without a pension at the age of 58. She worked at the plant for 15 years, and in the 1990s, when the company began to experience financial difficulties, she quit and worked as a social worker for almost 10 years, reports tut.by.

Until 2014, the insurance experience, which is taken into account when determining the right to a labor pension, was 5 years. And from January 1, 2014 it was increased to 10 years, a year later - to 15 years. In 2015, it was already 15 years and 6 months. Since the beginning of this year, the insurance experience has been raised for another six months, now it is 17 years. Every year, this bar will increase by 6 months - up to 20 years. When accruing a pension in 2025 and later, you will need insurance experience of at least 20 years.

“Until I was 55, I took care of the people with disabilities of ther 1st degree, and then they told me that it was forbidden at my age, and I was not accrued a pension. Why did this happen? I have 29 years of experience! And why didn’t they count my social worker experience? If I knew it before, I would have better get employed as a janitor or a cleaner,” says Nadzeya, a Smarhon resident, emotionally (the name has been changed for ethical reasons - edit. ) “I was registered with the labor registry office for a year and a half, I went to different organizations, but I did not find a job. I was offered jobs relating to care, but I am no longer strong enough. I would love them to give me a social pension, to have money to pat the rent, and for medicines…

Men can get a social pension starting from the age of 65, women - from the age of 60. Now the social pension is BYN 112.01.

The staff of the office for labor, employment and social protection of the Smarhon district executive committee know about the situation in which Nadzeya found herself. The specialists met with her in April 2017. Based on the documents provided, they calculated the length of service and gave an official response.

- In this case, the right to a pension is not seen: the total work experience, which affects the amount of the pension, was more than 29 years, and the insurance, which gives the right to a pension, is only 12 years 6 months and 14 days. This is not enough today. If, when assigning a pension in 2016, it was necessary to have at least 15 years 6 months of experience, then from January 1, 2017, the insurance experience began to “grow”, and now it takes 17 years to receive a pension,” the chief specialist of the office for labor, employment and social protection of Smarhon district executive committee Tatsiana Karpechkina explained.

Nadzeya’s insurance experience includes only the period of work at the Smarhon optical machine-tool plant (minus maternity leave). The woman calls the period for receiving benefits for caring for a disabled person of the 1st degree of disability the work in the social service.

- The period of receiving benefits, as well as the time of care for a child under 3 years of age, military service, study, and so on (the so-called credit period), is included only in the general experience, - said Tatsiana Karpechkina. - The insurance experience is a job, entrepreneurial and other activities with the payment of compulsory insurance contributions. That is, a person should receive a salary, and from it a certain amount should be deducted to the Social Protection Fund.

Nadzeya stopped receiving the care allowance for a disabled person with a 1st degree disability, or a person who has reached the age of 80, in May 2016, because she reached the generally established retirement age. According to the legislation, able-bodied citizens who are not engaged in entrepreneurial activities, do not obtain full-time training, do not receive unemployment benefits, monthly insurance payments, pay or retirement are eligible for benefits.

In January 2017, in connection with the increase in the retirement age, Nadzeya once again acquired the right to apply for the appointment of benefits, but did not use them.

- Social pension is granted to women who have reached the age of 60. Nadzeya will be able to apply for a social retirement pension for her in April 2021, the expert added. - Another way out of the situation is to try to refine the missing experience, however, it will be difficult to do it: today she lacks 4.5 years, and this number is growing.