UPDATE: Russian government discusses no retirement age hike

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MOSCOW, Feb 8 (PRIME) – The government is not discussing the retirement age at the moment, Deputy Prime Minister Olga Golodets said on Wednesday at a meeting of the State Duma, the parliament’s lower house.

“Each time I come to any microphone, I say with all the responsibility that the issue of the retirement age increase is currently not being studied by the government in any shape or form, it is not present in any draft document,” she said.

On February 1, Izvestiya daily reported citing two sources close to the government that the government has approved the idea of increase the retirement age, and was analyzing the consequences to decide on the parameters. Labor and Social Protection Minister Maxim Topilin said then the government has not yet decided to increase the retirement age as the time for it is not ripe.

She also said that the government may resume discussion of indexation of pension payments to working pensioners in line with payments to other pensioners, which law abolished in 2016.

A Duma deputy said that some pensioners, including disabled people, have low wages, and the 2016 law prompts them to leave their jobs, which contradicts a state program stipulating that 40% of disabled people of employable age should be provided with jobs by 2020. Golodets confirmed that this risk exists.

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