Greek self-employed almost suffered mass heart attacks and brain strokes on Tuesday noon, when they heard in the news, the Labor ministry planned to cut pensions of new retirees at 35 percent. Furthermore the ministry was trying to secretly pass this ‘clause’ in a multi-bill on labor issues and thus short before the bill was to be submitted to the Parliament for voting.
Private sector union GSEE but also coalition government partner PASOK took notice of the ‘hidden austerity measure” and brought it to the media.
According to the media, the amendment foresaw horizontal cuts of 35% to all new pensions independently of final pension amount.
The new austerity measure would affect all self-employed insured at TEBE/OAEE yet to apply for retirement. “The cuts would save 25,000,000 euro.”
Prompt was the angry response by unions, citizens, aspiring pensioners and even government coalition partners who were caught by surprise.
All the above protested the measure denouncing that the government has repeatedly claimed, there would be no new austerity measures.
“They should also consider lowering the TEBE contributions at 35%,” said a citizen on a TV-report.
” They have seized the TEBE contributions even with the haircut last March, and now they have no money to pay pensions,” said a unionist.
In less than one hour after the government secret was leaked to the press, Labor Minister allegedly removed this clause from the multi-bill. However, he refrained from clarifying if the issue is off the table for ever or it would return into a later point.
Social contributions to TEBE fund are considered in Greece as a drag to any self-employed, as the minimum monthly payment is 250 euro independently of the business revenues. Revenues that have suffered decrease of more than 40% during the last three years of loan agreements and tax hikes.
PS I really can’t tell if the government fiesta of re-starting economy had as main aim to distract from this incredible measure. Sorry, guys, the crisis turned us “awfully sober”.
Sneaking in a measure like this?! Kleftes! It’s indeed against everything they stated the last couple of weeks. It has, as always here, been all lies… again.
And what way to run a country. Putting a surprise like this in a multi-bill, because they know that almost none of those 300 that call themselves parliamentarians would read all the stuff. That’s the way things were done in the past to keep the clients happy. Done by government and MPs alike. Well, there is one positive out of this: at least somebody did take his/her job serious this time. Kuddos!
Ps. For all of your readers who are not aware of the TEBE/OAEE rules and regulations: you are indeed obliged to pay at a minimum that 250 euro per month for starters and without any consideration about your real income. After a couple of years this amount rises and keeps on rising as those brilliant tax laws are deeming that if you are a company for more then, say, 10 years your profits will have trippled! These idiots never heard about economic cycles or the possibility of a bad year. And as we now have had a couple really stinkers at a row, this TEBE/OAEE farce is one of the main reasons so many small businesses are going belly up. As a matter of fact, TEBE/OAEE rules have been a main stumbling block for people in Greece to start a business. Everybody with a good idea dreaded the idea of loosing his IKA (or better even OGA) and being forces into the claws of TEBE…
And now this. Great going guys!!! They’re probably sick and tired of this crises and are just setting the whole thing on fire to get rid of us all…
Am I annoyed? Hell no. Just livid!!!!
thanks for the additional information about TEBE/OAEE.
Oh… I was soooo hoping you would tell me off by stating that they changed the system completely now and I was living in the past… 😀