Norwegians' working age has been extended to 72
«You should work longer, and there should also be a scheme for so-called hard workers, — It was with this decision that the last meeting of the Norwegian Parliament ended. Now seven parties have reached an agreement in the Storting.
Deputy leader of the Conservative Party Henrik Asheim, in a conversation with the Norwegian publication VG, said that conservatives, liberals and Christian Democrats have long come to a common change in the upcoming pension provision.
“We will increase the general age limit for civil servants and other members of the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund from 70 to 72 years. This means that the age limit for government employees will be the same as for private sector employees,” — the official explained.
The agreement also notes that measures should be explored to facilitate continued work beyond the normal age limits set by the government's age limit law and the working environment law, including an assessment of age limits within the company.
The main elements of the pension system are to be locked in for ten years, meaning people will have to work longer. A scheme for so-called «toilers» will also be introduced, which will gradually increase compared to 1964, also known as «sliterordningen», reports NTB.
Several trade unions such as LO, Spekter , Unio, YS and Akademikerne, told VG that they were satisfied with the broad coalition around the pension settlement.
Let us explain: the pension agreement — it is an agreement between several political parties on how the country's pension system should work. The country has come to the conclusion of a new retirement age because people are living longer and healthier than before.
«The idea is that if we live longer, we can also work a little longer. This helps maintain the stability of the pension system so that there is enough money for everyone who needs it,” — the official comments.
«Struggle scheme» in Norway — this is a special part of the pension system that helps people who have had physically demanding jobs and who may not be able to work as long as others. This scheme gives them a little extra money if they have to retire early due to health reasons. Although this agreement concerns pensions that may seem distant to young people, it is important because it lays the foundation for what the pension system will look like in the future. This affects how today's young people will be able to retire when the time comes.
Recall that the first to think about the change were the Conservatives. They proposed increasing the general age limit for employees in the state. Then the government rejected the proposal.
“More people should expect to work longer. This is an important and predictable step we are taking to address our aging population. It also says something about how we as a society treat older workers, so it's important to a lot of people.» explains Deputy Leader of the Conservative Party Asheim.
At the same time, some officials offer a little self-criticism:
“The system was overly rigid, and US politicians often pointed the finger at it, but now we can remove the finger. It also helps the employer and employee to develop other relationships that are healthier and more sustainable both economically and socially for society.”, — says a representative of the ruling party.
Minister of Labor and Social Inclusion Tonje Brenna, in a statement to VG about the pension settlement, said: “I welcome this historic and broad political consensus for a fairer pension system. The agreement illustrates that we can build strong majorities around solutions that are good for people and that can last over time.»
Brenna believes that this is not a savings reform, but steps that will ensure fairer pensions for people and predictability of the pension system in the coming years:
At the same time, Asheim explains that it will be important to maintain the right to work after reaching special age limit for those professions that have special age restrictions.
«We live longer and become healthier in old age. Then we must make provisions for those who want to stay in work longer. The Liberals are pleased with the breakthrough in increasing the state's retirement protection limit to 72 and that the requirement to retire under special age limits will not be reintroduced as the government would like,” — Deputy party leader Sveinung Rotevatn emphasizes in a conversation with VG.
The 63-year-old man noted, “pension — this is an acquired right, and this was an important argument for us. At the same time, we wanted to increase the minimum pension, which no one had heard of here.”