Friday, May 16 2014

After 30 September, the Government will start pushing through the mandatory funded pension system with renewed vigor, Aram Manukyan, Secretary of the Armenian National Congress Faction in the Parliament, told ArmInfo.

He is sure that with the amendments to the Law on Funded Pension that was passed by the Parliament on 15 May, the Government tries to gain time. One should not cherish illusions for any concessions from the authorities, he said. 

"In addition, before 30 September, the Government will be forcing the big and small establishments in the country to pay fees to the pensions funds from their own budgets, creating an false impression of participation in the mandatory system. They need to ensure the necessary indicators by all means possible," Manukyan said.

The parliamentarian cannot say if the civic protests will calm down or not. "Anyway, we urge the citizens not to loosen up and fight till the very end," he said.

On 15 May the Armenian parliament approved the extended option of amendments to the law "On funded pension" that was submitted by the government. Minister of Labor and Social Affairs Artem Asatryan said that the bill suggests adding a provision that will relieve the citizens falling under the pension reforms of the responsibility for non- payment or failure to meet the time limit for the relevant payments. In addition, if a citizen files a statement that he refuses to participate in the accumulative system, the employer has the right not to make the relevant calculations to transfer the pension contributions.