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The Sharper Wants To Deprive Us From Sick Leaves And Pensions

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The Sharper Wants To Deprive Us From Sick Leaves And Pensions
Caricature: cartoonbank.ru

What's next? Forfeiture of property for the fund of the "social state"?

The government of Belarus may change its approach to sick pays to reduce expenditures of the National Social Security Fund (NSSF).

In particular, it is planned not to pay for three first days of sick leaves. At that, Minister of Labour and Social Security Iryna Kastsevich "expressed concern" about growing expenditures for sick pays across the country.

Constantly growing scarcity of funds in the NSSF feeds concerns of the minister; last year the hole in the fund amounted to 1.5 billion rubles.

Belarusians got caught in the crossfire: on the one hand, the government offers to save on sick pays and the retirement age increase for women, on the other hand, the number of enterprises who fail with deductions to the NSSF is increasing. At the beginning of June, there were almost 1200 enterprises which employers might be left without pensions.

What may happen next and what will happen to social transfers in the country? Ex-minister of Labour of Belarus Aliaksandr Sasnou and Doctor of Economics Barys Zhaliba answer questions of Charter97.org:

The authorities have let a genie out of a bottle and now distort facts

The authorities just play with figures, Aliaksandr Sasnou believes:

- Iryna Kastsevich might make growing figures for sick pays up. These figures cannot be checked. So they can be easily referred to.

On the other hand, such an increase may be true, because now the authorities make people earlier considered pensioners work. It's a norm that such employees go on sick leaves more often. The authorities themselves let the genie out of the bottle and now distort facts. It's really very "social" approach to increase the retirement age and not to pay for first three days of a sick leave. What's next? Forfeiture of property for the fund of the "social state"?

Barys Zhaliba assumes that Minister of Labour Iryna Kastsevich signals to medical practitioners:

- Such reasoning may be treated as following: a slight illness will not be a ground for a sick leave. It's quite possible that only the gravest situations will be a reason for a sick leave. The economy of Belarus is in so poor state that one has to choose what thing to sacrifice. It's quite possible that the Ministry of Labour will sacrifice the health of the population.

To treat gangrene with aspirin

Aliaksandr Sasnou believes that such decisions of the government are ad hoc solutions.

- Such plans cannot make a drastic difference. The collapse will happen a little later in the pension fund... It's like treating gangrene with aspirin.

The NSSF's problem should have been resolved 25 years ago. First, there should have been a transfer to medical insurance. It was planned to pay unemployment benefits at the expense of insurances. But Lukashenka abandoned all reforms as soon as he came to power. All payments were returned to the budget and got lost there. Even the unemployment fund became the part of the budget and got lost as well.

The root cause of the crisis in the NSSF is that the economy does not operate, and it makes the replenishment of the pension fund impossible. And they seek ways out. "Social" ones!

The NSSF's budget constantly experiences deficit, Barys Zhaliba says:

- The NSSF has long been supported by the state budget. The patient, so to say, uses a life-support machine. The Fund has long been failing with making ends meet. The excessively centralized and not reformed economy is the reason. It means that only a sweeping economic reform can make a difference. But the authorities have been denying it for 25 years already.

Sharpers and Liars

Aliaksandr Sasnou believes the state must be responsible for workers at 1200 enterprises which have allegedly owed to the budget:

- The Belarusian authorities behave like notorious sharpers. The major part of debtors is state-owned enterprises. The authorities assert that these enterprises do not pay to the NSSF, their workers will not get pensions. It's a bull shit! Who is the owner? The state is. If enterprises failed with payments, the state should bear responsibility. Everything we hear about "guilt of enterprises" is told by sharpers and liars. And there is the chief sharper who can deprive us from sick leaves and pensions.

The other series is devoted to popular protests and cuts in salaries

Upheavals caused by the retirement age increase in Russia can spill over to Belarus, Aliaksandr Sasnou assumes:

- "Chain reaction" may occur. The main thing is the "what-if-it-is-right" principle not to bother. However, Marches of Angry Belarusians prove that such principles do not work, if people are grieved a lot.

The next step of the government may become general cuts in salaries caused by problems in the NSSF, Barys Zhaliba assumes:

- 34% of deductions to the NSSF made by an employer are a very high hurdle. For example, this percentage is much lower in Russia and Kazakhstan now. In advanced countries deductions to the pension fund are divided between an employer and an employee, it may reach the ratio 50/50. Naturally, it is valid for the country with a substantial average salary. Could you imagine that our people deduct 1% or even more to the NSSF? It will cause mass popular discontent or even social upheaval.

You know, I think that time will come when the government turns to it and offers to deduct not 1% from wages but more. Put it softly, the condition of state-owned enterprises is worsening. The practice shows that the only conclusion made is that it's the burden of the people.

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