Aliaksandr Jarashuk: It will be pointless to return to Belarus after working abroad for a long time

Introduction of new labor obligations for Belarusans can cause decline in living standards. More and more people from among the workable population will start looking for jobs abroad.

Belarus should introduce a systemic pension reform as well as the change of its economic and social policy in general. It is impossible to solve the existing problems by single changes, believes Aliaksandr Jarashuk, the head of Belarusan Congress of Democratic Trade Unions (BCDTU).

“Obviously, one of the reasons to tighten the terms for getting pension is fight on labor migration. According to the official Russian statistics, today more than 4 hundred thousand Belarusans are working in Russia, which is a great concern for Belarusan authorities. They look for ways to fight the outflow of workable population. Voluntaristic pay rise in 2012 was one of them, alongside with the increase of the minimal working experience for getting labor pension”, - told Aliaksandr Jarashuk in the talk with the EuroBelarus Information Service.

He believes that such controversial decision, i.e. an attempt to attach people to their jobs at the same time dealing with parasitism through increasing the minimal working experience necessary for working pension, can, actually, result in converse effect with more people leaving to work in other countries, Russia in particular. And, moreover, this decision can increase the number of those who would like to prolong their working migration into an endless period, as it will be pointless to come back to Belarus after working abroad for a long time. The head of BCDTU is convinced that in order to reach the expectations, changes should become part of systemic transformations in the social and economic policy of the country.

The state has to pull in its belt, but do in properly

- In a difficult economic situation the state cannot guarantee social benefits to the population; and it is with inability to carry this burden that all the recent statements are connected with, - explains Aliaksandr Jarashuk.

Increasing the minimal working experience necessary for working pension, officials plead the experience of European countries, where the minimal working experience can amount to 20 years and even more. “But we have different economic models and pension systems, which makes this comparison inconsistent”, - the trade-union leader is convinced.

The level of European pensions cannot be compared to Belarusan. “I would say that the Western pensioners are well-provided and can afford such things Belarusans cannot even dream of”, - notes Aliaksandr Jarashuk.

The changes in the pension system are long overdue

Aliaksandr Jarashuk highlights that the policy of populism favored by Belarusan authorities has long ago exhausted itself. The changes in the pension system are long overdue both because of problems in economic and in demographic situation. “The Ministry of Labor suggested to carry out pension reform back in late 90s; it could have been less painful then and result in a different situation with the pension system today”, believes the head of BCDTU.

The problem with social and economic policy can be resolved only in complex

“Under such a difficult social and economic situation the necessity to introduce unpopular measures is long overdue; however, they should be systemic”, - Aliaksandr Jarashuk believes.

 Actually, the real pension reform is impossible without principal changes of social and political policy in general. The head of BCDTU is convinced that the policy pursued now with the administrative command system cannot ensure efficiency of economy and leads to its complete uncompetitiveness.

In a current situation it is hard to talk about adequate salaries and pensions in the country. Only economic liberalization and long overdue switch to market relations can ensure effectiveness of production and competitiveness of economy. And rise in salaries and adequate pensions will be a direct consequence to these changes, Aliaksandr Jarashuk believes.