Prague, Sept 7 (CTK) – Ethnic Czechs who were repatriated with the state support to the Czech Republic from the former USSR and have a low pension may be given a special contribution in order to have at least a minimum livelihood under a proposal of the Labour and Social Affairs Ministry the cabinet will discuss on Monday.
It is to reach double the subsistence level, which is 6820 crowns a month now.
The Finance Ministry is opposed to the plan. The Interior Ministry, which is to pay the contribution, also has some reservations.
On the other hand, the ombudsman says the contribution should be higher.
A few years ago, the ombudsman started dealing with the situation of ethnic Czechs repatriated from the former Soviet Union.
The people who were repatriated at a high age did not pay contributions to the pension system for a sufficiently long time, due to which their pensions are quite low.
In addition, their pensions from their country of origin are also low.
This is why the ombudsman asked the labour and social affairs and interior ministry to propose some measures and she also turned to Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka.
Under the proposal, repatriated Czechs over 65, who came back within some repatriation scheme, are to be eligible for the contribution.
The recipients must have Czech parents or grandparents. There is the condition that they came to the Czech Republic when they were over 35 and their current pension is below the double of the subsistence level.
Family members are to be entitled to the contribution, too.
In all, there are about 10,000 repatriated ethnic Czechs in the Czech Republic. Roughly one-third of them, 3,304, came back with the state support.
Of them, 1323 were over 35. They mainly came from Ukraine, Belarus and Kazakhstan.
The Finance Ministry argues with the threat that other foreigners who were also repatriated might start demanding the contribution.
