New wave of protest because of mandatory funded pension component (video)
When receiving her monthly pay, Anahit, an employee of the Armenian National Assembly, found out that five percent of the money had been transferred to the mandatory funded pension system. Together with 50 staff members she turned to the head of the Armenian parliament staff with a demand to repay the money. “The authorities have no right to dictate us how to live in our country,” she said. Ms Syuzanna, another employee of the NA, has also been taken unawares by the news. She thinks all methods are justified in the struggle against the changes in the pension system. “I am a peaceful person and I prefer peaceful means of struggle, but our efforts do not yield any results, I think that revolt will be unavoidable,” she said. Experts of the Prosperous Armenia Party (BHK) have also applied to Gurgen Dumanyan, Head of the NA staff, but we have been unable to reach them to know the answer. In the second half of the day, Gurgen Dumanyan gave an answer to the angered employees, saying, “As an employer, we are obliged to make a 5-percent monthly funded contribution without transferring the money to any account.” Under the controversial changes introduced in the RA Law on Funded Pension, employees whose monthly income does not exceed AMD 500,000, shall make a monthly funded contribution in his/her pension account in the amount of 5% of the basic income, while the remaining 5% shall be paid for (in favor of) the participant from the state budget to secure 10% of the required contributions. For more details, watch the video.
