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During a recent program conference in Końskie, Świętokrzyskie, Poland’s Minister of Family and Social Policy, Marlena Maląg, unveiled an ambitious plan to introduce seniority-based pensions, emphasizing the government’s commitment to enhancing retirement options for Polish citizens.
Maląg’s proposal, championed by Poland’s ruling party, Law and Justice (PiS), under President Jarosław Kaczyński’s leadership, focuses on providing individuals with greater control over their retirement decisions. The plan outlines a retirement age of 38 years for women and 43 years for men, determined by years of service.
#KonkretyPiS #BezpiecznaPrzyszłośćPolaków pic.twitter.com/QRU3jxgGI4
— Marlena Maląg (@MarlenaMalag) September 9, 2023
A Choice, Not a Mandate
Minister Maląg is keen to stress that transitioning to seniority-based pensions will be entirely voluntary. Those who wish to continue working beyond the proposed retirement ages will have the freedom to do so. This approach aims to offer support to women working in challenging conditions or facing health issues, allowing them to retire earlier if they choose.
Underlying this policy shift is a commitment to fiscal responsibility. Maląg’s government previously restored the retirement age to 60 for women and 65 for men in 2017, overturning a previous increase implemented by a different administration. These reforms aim to ensure the financial sustainability of the pension system.