Pensions, CGIL on the attack: “The government raises cash, cuts amounting to thousands of euros”
MILAN – “The Meloni government makes money on pensions. In fact, in addition to having succeeded in the sensational feat of worsening the Monti/Fornero law, eliminating any form of exit flexibility, it continues to cut the revaluation of pensions by thousands of euros”. This is what the confederal secretary of the CGIL declared Lara Ghiglione. “This executive with last year’s budget law – explains the national secretary of the Spi CGIL Tania Scacchetti – had introduced for both 2023 and 2024 a highly penalizing revaluation mechanism for pensions with payments exceeding 4 times the minimum payment, pensions of just over 1,600 euros net, as well as rich pensions. The losses due to the lack of revaluation – he continues – naturally drag on over the years and are no longer recoverable. In fact, by law, it is decided that amounts adequate to the increase in the cost of living cannot be guaranteed. And it is done on that part of the population who has worked all their lives and who supports the welfare of this country, often helping their children and grandchildren.”
By how much pensions will not increase
In the analysis of the pension department of the CGIL and the SPI, very heavy cuts on pensions are calculated in the two-year period 2023-2024, which reach 962 euros for a gross pension of 2,300 euros (net 1,786), up to 4,849 euros gross for a gross pension amount of 3,840 euros (2,735 euros net).
“These cuts projected on average life expectancy – we read in the analysis – reach very high amounts, starting from 6,673 euros net for a pensioner with a net pension of 1,786 euros, up to 36,329 euros net, for a pension of 2,735 net euros”
“As if this were not enough – adds the CGIL – the Government intends to change the indices with which to calculate the revaluation of pensions from 2027, replacing the current equalization index with the GDP deflator”. The study amply demonstrates that “this change would have a very serious impact on pensions, with a monthly loss of 78 euros for a pension of 1,786 euros net and 230 euros for a pension of 2,735 euros net. Data which if projected onto life expectancy average, they reach amounts that vary between 18,019 euros up to 35,051 euros of lost earnings”.
“Instead of fighting tax and contribution evasion – accuse Ghiglione and Scacchetti – we want to continue cutting pensions, taking resources from the usual suspects, already burdened by an unfair tax burden. There is no fairness in these choices, especially for a segment of the population that only has this tool to protect themselves, at least partially, from increases in the cost of living induced by growing inflation”.
“Those who govern – say the union leaders – often talk about solidarity between generations with the aim of pitting today’s pensioners against young people. In reality in this budget law there is no investment for young people and we continue to cut pensioners. For some time – conclude Ghiglione and Scacchetti – we have been asking the Government to change direction, with an intervention on extra profits and large incomes, but the truth is clear, the Executive has chosen to continue to tamper with the revaluation mechanism, to recover resources from the pockets of pensioners, probably the simplest way”
