Minister of Labor guarantees assignment of support to bank pensioners ‘depends on the situation’

The assignment of the support announced by the government to pensioners “depends on the situation” in the case of bank pensioners, the labor secretary said on Monday, assuring those who are part of the social security system will be eligible for the measure. .

Labour, Solidarity and Social Security Minister Ana Méndez Godinho spoke to reporters in Cascais on the sidelines of a conference after being asked about doubts raised by several banking unions about whether pensioners in the sector would be eligible for the October support included in the package of government measures to respond to inflation.

“It depends on the situation,” the minister replied, adding that “there are many different situations, because there are people who have mixed situations, with pensions that are the result of bank pension funds and social security pension funds, there are others who have There are only pension funds. the minister said.

But “this measure applies to all pensioners who are covered by the social security system, as well as the Caixa Geral de Aposentações,” Ana Mendez Godinho emphasized, referring to the fact that a meeting with trade unions is scheduled for Tuesday on this issue, where this issue “will be clarified “.

The three banking unions demanded on Monday the payment of the pensioner’s surcharge announced by the government for October, indicating that pensioners in the sector were exempt from the measures.

“Diplomas have been omitted by law, which ultimately leads us to the conclusion that retired bank employees will not be entitled to an extraordinary October pension,” Cristina Damian from the Mais Sindicato, i.e. the Union of Bank Employees Center (SBC ) and the Portuguese Financial Sector Union (SBN), one of the three sponsors of the joint communiqué sent to the editors.

According to Cristina Damian, the unions want the government to “pass a law so that this measure applies to all pensioners equally.”

“We have pensioners whose pensions are paid entirely by the banks’ pension funds, we have pensioners who are paid partly by the banks and partly by Social Security, and we have pensioners. […] from the age of 55, whose retirement is paid by banks. The government did not bother to say that these workers are subject to government measures, because this is a universal measure,” said Christina Damian.

According to the trade union leader, it is the government that should support the payment of this emergency measure.

In a statement released on Monday, the unions say that if inflation easing measures do not cover bank pensioners, “they will not comply and will require the competent authorities to conduct a consistent review of the constitutionality of the legislative package in the Constitutional Court.” .

The government announced as part of the family support package to respond to inflation, the assignment of an emergency allowance to pensioners for disability, old age and the loss of the supporter of the social security system and pensioners for retirement, retirement and survival of the convergent system living in the national territory.

The grant, paid as a lump sum in October, will correspond to 50% of the total amount earned in October 2022 in the form of pensions or allowances for dependents, dependents of a spouse, emergency solidarity or emergency minimum pension.

Pensioners with pensions exceeding the Social Assistance Index (IAS) by more than 12 times, about 5,300 euros, are excluded.

Even though this emergency assistance is paid along with the October pension, this emergency support will be subject to separate IRS withholding, which prevents people in October from “moving up” on the withholding table and paying a higher tax rate.