The reconstruction phase will soon begin, in which we have to be on site to avoid the damage that can occur to one of the social systems that, although perfectible, works best in our country: the pension system.
There is no doubt that Spanish and European bodies are preparing documents with proposals on how to fill the immense hole that the pandemic is causing in our economy. We have read opinions that talk about freezing and even cutting pensions. These remind us of what happened in the 2008 crisis in Greece and Portugal, where their pensioners suffered an axe to their income, being the sector of the population that suffered most in both countries.
We are aware that we will all have to make hard economic sacrifices, but it is the age cohort of those over 65 that is suffering lethally from the hell of this pandemic, which by mandate of the Official State Gazette, or on its own responsibility, will continue to be subject to prolonged de facto confinement. It would be cruel to subject her to a new penalty, this time an economic one.
We are shocked at how public resources are being squandered, including in the management of the pandemic itself, as we have already denounced in the case of the centralisation of purchases and the apparent wastage that has taken place. Shamelessly, inexplicable or dispensable subsidies are given in these extraordinary circumstances, a public administration overloaded with new official positions is increased, aid is given abroad… We demand an immediate thorough cleaning of the superfluous in all public administrations.
We Spanish pensioners will not accept reductions in our pensions until the privileges that some, such as politicians, have in this field and which we have often rejected, are thoroughly cleaned up. The organisations representing the elderly are vigilant and have drawn a red line: do not touch the pensions.
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Eduardo Rodríguez Rovira
Honorary President of CEOMA (Spanish Confederation of Elderly Organizations)