Rewritten Title: Social Security Pensioners Rally for Bonus Equity, Citing Disparity with Active Workers
Article:
A campaign initiated by a group of Social Security retirees is bringing a long-simmering issue to the fore: the calculation of their annual bonus. The retirees are formally requesting that their bonus be calculated using the same formula applied to active workers under the Iranian labor law, a move they argue is essential for equitable treatment.
The Core of the Protest
The campaign’s central argument, as detailed in its text, hinges on principles of justice and established legal frameworks. It states that retirees have spent decades contributing to the nation’s productive strength and now expect fairness in payments, consistent with their years of service.
The retirees highlight a significant disparity: “Currently, active workers covered by the Labor Law receive a bonus equivalent to two or three times the annual minimum wage. However, the Social Security pensioners’ bonus is still paid at a fixed and discriminatory rate.” The campaign asserts that this fixed payment contradicts the principles of insurance justice and is at odds with Article 36 of the Social Security Law.
A Call for Procedural Reform
In their appeal to authorities, the pensioners are calling for a concrete policy shift. “We, the retirees and families of this hardworking group, request officials to set the calculation base for the Social Security pensioners’ bonus to be similar to the formula for active workers,” the campaign urges. They have further called upon the Social Security Organization and the government to incorporate this reform during the annual budget planning process.
The Current Bonus Structure
For context, last year’s regulation set the bonus for state and Social Security pensioners at 3 million Tomans. This base amount increased to 4.2 million Tomans for retirees with a spouse and one child, with an additional 360,000 Tomans for each subsequent child. This structure resulted in bonuses of 4.66 million Tomans for those with two children and 4.92 million Tomans for those with three. This payment was uniform for state, military, and Social Security pensioners.
The Equity Gap and Future Prospects
The point of contention arises from the different calculation methods. While pensioners receive a fixed sum, the bonus for active workers is directly tied to their monthly salary, often resulting in a substantially higher payment.
The campaign’s proponents point out that, given the current annual minimum wage of approximately 10.39 million Tomans, adopting their proposed formula could see the retirees’ bonus rise to over 20 million Tomans. However, analysis of budgetary trends from previous years suggests that a full implementation of this demand in the upcoming fiscal year is unlikely. It is anticipated that the pensioners’ bonus for this year might see a more modest increase of around 20 to 30 percent.