By: Domen Mezeg (Nova24tv.si)
The government is currently tackling the financial hardship of pensioners in retirement homes with what can only be described as touchups. Namely, they want to introduce a new intervention law that would limit the rise in prices of services in social care institutions. However, all of these problems would not have even happened in the first place if the Golob government had not overturned Janša’s Long-Term Care Act. To illustrate the problem metaphorically – they threw away a new, high-quality inner tube and are instead slapping bandaids on an old one, willing to do anything – as long as they are not using a product of the Janša government.
Under the government of Robert Golob, there seems to be no end in sight when it comes to problems. The best thing would be for the Prime Minister to throw in the towel and call new elections. But, of course, he does not want to do that until the energy sector (to which he intends to return) is sufficiently comfortable. He is probably also discouraged from doing so by his “confessors”. And, after all, the European Union’s interests are at play, too. This is precisely why we need to continue with protests on the streets… According to the Slovenian Press Agency, the Ministry of Solidarity-Based Future has forwarded for inter-ministerial coordination a proposal for a new intervention law to limit the rise in the prices of services provided by social welfare institutions.
The previous law expires on the 1st of July, while the new law would be in force until the 1st of January 2024. The proposal to extend the co-financing of the costs of nursing homes has already been tabled by the MPs of the opposition Slovenian Democratic Party (Slovenska demokratska stranka – SDS). According to data from the Association of Social Institutions of Slovenia (SSZS), less than half of the residents in these institutions are currently able to cover the costs of the services themselves, and the increase would only worsen the situation. They believe a long-term systemic solution is a law on long-term care. This has already been prepared by the Ministry.
However, MPs of the SDS party have already tabled amendments to the law in the National Assembly last week, which concern urgent measures to increase pensioners’ incomes and limit the rise in social care fees. A reminder: despite the big promises of the current government about how it intends to take care of pensioners, the latter will now receive only crumbs from the government’s table. Namely, the time for the payment of the pensioners’ annual allowance is fast approaching, but instead of a fair amount, the government will only give them a pittance, even though they are the ones who have contributed the most to the state coffers, while public administration employees, regardless of their salary, will be rewarded with an annual leave allowance of more than 1,200 euros. And the pensioners?
Under the previous government, despite the crisis, they received increases in several successive tranches!
The pensioners will get very little, while those with the highest pensions will get just 145 euros. Meanwhile, civil servants will get eight times more! It is also worth noting that during the term of the previous government of Janez Janša, pensioners received increases in several successive tranches, despite the crisis, and they also received several one-off bonuses. Thus, in just two years of the Janša government in office, pensioners received: higher pensions (there was a regular increase of all pensions by at least 2.5 percent on three separate occasions), the solidarity allowance on three separate occasions, the correction of retroactive injustices (the correction of the backlog in the harmonisation of pensions and other benefits has led to a further increase in pensions of at least one percentage point), an extraordinary adjustment of pensions, long-term care, and senior’s relief. Meanwhile, the Golob government is cutting back on the public services already provided by the previous government.