Dep. Labor Min. – No widow or disability pensioner will see a reduction in pension

No widow or disability pensioner will see a reduction in their pension. This was stressed by the Deputy Minister of Labor, Panos Tsakloglou, regarding the circular that was signed a few days ago and concerns retirees who receive more than one pension (old age, disability or death).

The deputy minister stated in an interview with Sky Radio that there will be no cuts in existing pensions and stressed that the circular only applies to those insured who retire from January 1, 2022 onwards, so it has no retroactive effect.

According to the circular, when an insured person is entitled to more than one pension for any reason (old age, disability or death), he is granted a single national pension, which can not exceed (individually or as a sum of national pensions for different reasons) the ceiling a full national pension (EUR 384). As it has been clarified, it comes as an application of a relevant provision in both law 4387/2016 (Katrougalos law) and law 4670/2020 (Vroutsis law).

The Undersecretary of Labor also noted that, under the Katrougalos law, every pensioner receives the national pension, which is financed from the state budget and the compensatory pension, which arises from the contributions of the insured. “The national pension, according to the Katrougalos law, is set at 384 euros, for an insured person with 20 years of insurance. “The law is clear that you receive only one national pension”, stressed Mr. Tsakloglou.

What the circular provides

According to the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs in a recent announcement, “the circular clarifies that, by law, the introduction of the national pension (in addition to the contributory pension) aims to ensure a minimum amount of pension for each category of pensioners.”

“In this spirit, the national pension is financed directly from the state budget”, he adds in the same announcement of the ministry and explains:

“Therefore, due to the very philosophy and architecture of the national pension and, always, according to the law, it is not allowed for one person to receive more than one national pension .

At the practical level, when an insured person is entitled to more than one pension for any reason (old age, disability or death), he is granted a single national pension, which may not exceed (individually or as a sum of national pensions for different reasons) the maximum of one full national pension (EUR 384). This rule applies, regardless of the origin of the pension right (own right or by transfer) and in any combination of cumulation “.

At the same time, Mr. Tsakloglou stated that, from tomorrow, the official website of the Auxiliary Capital Insurance Fund (TEKA) will be operational, pointing out that all new insured persons, who have an auxiliary insurance obligation, are now part of TEKA.

Among other things, the Deputy Labor Minister stated that, in 2021, social security fund e-EFKA recorded an increase of 82% in the issuance of new main pensions compared to 2019.