Title: Pensioners Advocate for Enhanced Livelihoods in Upcoming Budget Cycle
A Growing Movement
A significant campaign has emerged within Iran’s retiree community, with over 31,000 pensioners and beneficiaries petitioning for a substantial 70% salary increase for the upcoming Persian year 1405. Organizers of the campaign, launched on an independent signature-gathering platform, state that this demand is not for a new privilege but a necessary measure to restore purchasing power and maintain the social dignity of retirees, following years of rising living costs.
Addressing the Cost-of-Living Crisis
In their published statements, the retirees highlight the continuous inflation and sharp increases in the cost of healthcare, housing, and basic necessities. They argue that their current income is fundamentally misaligned with the real costs of living, leaving many unable to meet their essential and medical needs. This situation, they contend, poses severe challenges to their daily lives and well-being.
Core Demands for Structural Reform
The campaign outlines three primary objectives:
- A minimum 70% pension increase in the 1405 national budget.
- An improvement in the performance and management of the National Retirement Fund.
- Strengthened coverage under supplementary health insurance.
The petitioners have also emphasized the need for greater financial transparency, effective oversight, and accountability within the pension funds, pointing to performance issues over the past decade.
An Appeal to Government
In a formal address to the President, the Speaker of the Islamic Consultative Assembly (Parliament), and the Head of the Planning and Budget Organization, the retirees have called on the government to specifically and adequately account for their plight. They have urged that the drafting of next year’s budget bill include a pension raise that is commensurate with the real inflation rate. The campaign’s statement asserts that the “request for a 70% increase is not an unconventional demand, but a necessity for the survival and preservation of retirees’ human dignity.”
A Decade of Eroding Purchasing Power
This mobilization occurs against a backdrop where annual pension increases have historically fluctuated between 15% and 25%. Economic experts often note that these incremental adjustments, set against annual inflation rates, have failed to prevent a steady erosion of retirees’ purchasing power. Many analysts suggest that without structural reforms to the pension and support systems, the gap between retiree income and actual living costs will continue to widen.
The Path Forward
Organizers have announced that the campaign will continue until Ordibehesht 1405 (Spring 2026). With sustained support, the results will be formally presented to relevant authorities, including the Planning and Budget Organization, the National Retirement Fund, and the Parliament’s Social Commission for official review and follow-up.
The precise pension adjustment for 1405 will soon be clarified within the national budget bill submitted by the government to the parliament. Given the current economic pressures, including inflation and rising healthcare costs, the government’s specific decision remains to be seen. However, the prevailing livelihood pressures appear to have created a significant impetus for a potential re-evaluation of current pension adjustment policies.