Title: Pension Adjustments in Focus for 2025 as Retirees Advocate for Enhanced Livelihoods
Introduction
Recent months have seen a significant mobilization among Iran’s retiree community. Facing rising living costs, retirees from various national funds have launched coordinated campaigns. Their primary objective is to formally petition the government and legislative bodies, seeking urgent attention to their economic challenges and advocating for a substantial pension increase in the coming Persian year of 1405 (2025).
Dual Campaigns, A Unified Goal
Two distinct, large-scale petition drives have gained momentum, collectively gathering tens of thousands of signatures.
The First Campaign: An Immediate Adjustment
One group of retirees has directly addressed letters to the President, the Head of Parliament, and the Minister of Labor, Cooperatives, and Social Welfare. They are calling for a pension raise to be implemented from Azar 1404 (late 2025). Their formal request highlights that living costs have at least doubled since the start of the current Persian year, while their pensions have remained unchanged. They state that previous pension adjustments have failed to produce any tangible positive impact on their quality of life.The Second Campaign: A 70% Increase for 1405
Running parallel to the first, a second campaign is specifically advocating for a 70% pension increase in the national budget for the year 1405. Proponents argue that such an adjustment is not an extraordinary demand but a necessary measure to maintain a basic standard of living and human dignity amid escalating expenses for healthcare, family needs, and the general cost of living.
Context and Historical Precedent
Official data indicates that state pensions saw a 20% increase in the current year. Over the past decade, annual adjustments have typically ranged between 15% and 25%. However, retirees and some economic analysts contend that these increments have consistently failed to outpace inflation, leading to a steady erosion of purchasing power for this segment of the population. This persistent gap has fueled the current, more assertive demand for a significant revision to the pension adjustment policy.
The Upcoming Budget Decision
The specific rate of the pension increase for 1405 will soon be clarified within the framework of the government’s proposed annual budget bill. The widespread nature of the current campaigns, backed by substantial public support from the retiree community, underscores that the prevailing economic pressures have created a compelling context for a thorough review of existing social welfare policies. The government’s forthcoming decision on this matter is highly anticipated.