The number of pensioners in Venezuela increased by 259% over the past 10 years, compared with the number of beneficiaries that existed in 1999.
According to figures published by the Venezuelan Institute of Social Security (IVSS), in 1999 the Venezuelan pension system served 475,114 people. That number has been increasing progressively through various legal reforms and presidential decrees, reaching 1,506,595 pensioners at the end of July of this year, said Rafael Rios, president of the Social Development Commission of the National Assembly, in a forum on Tuesday concerning the achievements of the current legislature in the field of social security.
He noted that these achievements have materialized with reforms to the Social Security Act, the Statute on Retirement and Pension System of Public Employees and through presidential decrees incorporating housewives, farmers, fishermen and other workers who did not previously receive benefits.
Additionally, with the increased number of beneficiaries, pensions were pegged to the current minimum wage, as stipulated in the Constitution of 1999. Prior to 2000, these pensions were paid below the minimum wage.
Even with these achievements, Rios added that amendments to the Law on Pension and Other Economic Allocations are a pending matter that will be addressed by the legislature during its next constitutional period (2011-2016) in order to hold discussions on the possible reduction of the 750 required contributions and the minimum age requirements for retirement (55 years for women and 60 for men), amongst other issues.
Rios found that the main challenge in social security will be to ensure that the citizenry takes advantage of the existing legal tools and exercises its rights fully.
“It’s about achieving a culture of social security. People should assume their full rights, know them and exercise them in compliance with the laws that we have created, from the constitutional principles and construction of the socialist state we are promoting, so these laws do not become unnecessary. Social security is not a business and it is not part of the market. Rather, it is part of citizens’ rights,” said Rios.
Venezuelan News Agency (VNA), Embassy of Venezuela in the United States / September 8, 2010
