Rewritten Title: Pensioners’ Campaign for Equitable Bonus Payments Gains Momentum
A significant campaign by a group of Social Security Organization retirees is bringing a critical financial issue to the fore, highlighting a disparity in annual bonus calculations and calling for legislative alignment with the practices for active workers.
The Core of the Protest
The retirees have formally launched a campaign, arguing that the current method for calculating their annual bonus, known as “Eidi,” is inequitable. They contend that after decades of contributing to the nation’s production cycle, they are entitled to the same justice in payments they experienced during their working years.
The campaign’s central argument points to a clear discrepancy: “Currently, active workers under the Labor Law receive a bonus equivalent to two to three months of the annual minimum wage. However, the bonus for social security retirees is still paid at a fixed and discriminatory rate, which contradicts the principles of insurance justice and Article 36 of the Social Security Law.”
A Call for Legislative Alignment
The petitioners are urging authorities to revise the calculation basis for their bonuses to mirror the formula used for active workers. “We, the retirees and families of this hardworking stratum, request that the officials set the calculation basis for the social security retirees’ bonus similar to the formula for active workers,” the campaign states. It further calls upon the Social Security Organization and the government to incorporate this reform into the upcoming annual budget deliberations.
The Current Payment Structure
For context, last year’s regulation set the bonus for state and social security retirees at 3 million Tomans. This amount increased to 4.2 million Tomans for retirees with a spouse and one child, with an additional 360,000 Tomans for each extra child. This structure resulted in bonuses of 4.66 million Tomans for retirees with two children and 4.92 million Tomans for those with three. This fixed payment was uniformly applied to state, military, and social security pensioners.
Potential for Change and Budgetary Realities
The campaign’s potential success hinges on a significant policy shift. Given the current minimum wage for workers set at approximately 10.39 million Tomans, aligning the retirees’ bonus formula could see their payment exceed 20 million Tomans.
However, an analysis of previous years’ trends suggests that the full realization of this demand in the current year’s budget may be unlikely. It is anticipated that the bonus for retirees this year might only see a modest increase of around 20 to 30 percent, falling short of the parity the campaign seeks. This ongoing discussion underscores the dynamic nature of social welfare policy and the government’s continuous efforts to address the needs of all segments of society.