The retirement age is not planned to increase in Belarus in the current five-year period. This was reported by Minister of Labor and Social Protection Marianna Shchetkina on March 23. "Program documents don't provide any changes to pension legislation relating to the generally established retirement age for the current five-year plan," stressed the Minister.
However, Marianna Shchetkina noted that this year’s pensions would be increased. «However, it is too early to say anything about the pension’s timing increase so far. Information about the decision to raise pensions will be brought to the attention of the labor, employment and social protection authorities, as well as the media,» said the head of the Ministry of Labor, BelTA informs.
In addition, according to Marianna Shchetkina, a common position on the distribution of pension insurance burden between employers and employees have not been worked out yet but it’s touched upon in Directive № 4. «The directive aims to create conditions and incentives for business development, the minister said. — One of the obstacles to business development is the level of contributions for social insurance. However, contributions are the pensions for the elderly, child allowances, allowances for temporary disability, a number of other social benefits, as well as finance employment programs. And a direct consequence of reducing the level of contributions would reduce state social guarantees. But the state can’t follow this way.»
According to the head office, the business offers other solutions to its problems: to shift a substantial part of the burden of contributions payment for employees. «After all, business is interested in a net decrease of total labor costs. And the liberalization of economy makes the state lose its ability to influence the level of remuneration,» said Marianna Shchetkina.
Thus, given the ambiguous consequences of such steps, the overall position on this issue has not been worked out yet, stated the Minister of Labour and Social Security.
Belarus to Wider Use Flexible Forms of Employment, Labor Ministry
Marianna Shchetkina also said that Belarus would wider use flexible forms of employment. According to her, increased use of flexible forms of employment is provided by Directive № 4. It is aimed at providing job opportunities for citizens in a convenient mode, the minister said.
Marianna Shchetkina explained that the focus is on using part-time (weeks), a combination (division) of workplace, e-employment (work via the Internet), seasonal, temporary work, work on civil contracts. It is planned to develop outsourcing — the transfer of third-party organization of some functions, of non-profile character (management accounting, security and cleaning services, IT-security, transfer of part of the production process).
