Protests against Bukele in El Salvador 2:40
(CNN Spanish) --
Members of union organizations opposed to the new Comprehensive Law of the Pension System —approved in December by the Legislative Assembly and promoted by the government of the president of El Salvador, Nayib Bukele— marched this Friday to express their disagreement with measures.
The protesters, dressed in black, went to the Presidential House to present a proposal to reform six articles of the new law because they consider that it does not guarantee a fair and sustainable pension over time.
The march was stopped by a security cordon installed near the Presidential Palace, and only a delegation was allowed to enter to deliver its proposal.
Credit: CNN
The government highlights several points of the new pension system law, such as the one that sets the minimum pension at US$400, while the previous one was US$304.
The new law also eliminated the possibility that contributors had with the repealed regulations to withdraw 25% of the savings, although they had to repay that money in order to retire.
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The Executive also highlights that the retirement age was not increased, which for men is 60 years and 55 in the case of women.
However, the protesters say that the calculation of US$ 400 of the minimum pension will depend on the savings in individual accounts, and warn that it will not be enough to cover the cost of living.
For this reason, they propose that the calculation of the pension be based on the last salary earned and the number of years worked.
Credit: CNN
The general secretary of Bases Magisteriales —one of the main teachers unions in El Salvador—, Jorge Villegas, explained that the proposal is that the pension be 65% of the last salary earned with 25 years of work, 70% with 30 years of work and 75% with 35 years of work.
The unions said they waited for the government to study their proposal and ask the Legislative Assembly to approve the changes, or else they would once again demonstrate their rejection in the streets.