Prague, June 15 (CTK) – Czech deep coal miners will retire seven years sooner than the rest, at 56, under the legislation that is to take effect in October and passed by the Senate on Wednesday.
The amendment is yet to be signed by President Milos Zeman, but he is not expected to raise any objections to it.
The earlier age at retirement is to cover the miners who will have worked 3,300 shifts in a coal mine or 2,200 shifts in a uranium mine.
If their work ended after they achieved the biggest admissible burden, it will be enough for them to have worked 319 and 219 shifts less, respectively.
At present, men retire at almost 63 years, while the age limit is postponed by two months each year.
Under the proposal, the miners will retire at almost 56 years and if there is an early retirement, three years sooner, in almost 53 years.
The pension is composed of a fixed part that is the same for all and a percentage part depending on the number of years worked and the paid sums.
Deep mines are now mainly operated in the Moravia-Silesia Region, managed by the OKD company.
The mining firm with the property of roughly seven billion crowns is facing an insolvency trial as it owes over 17 billion crowns.
The firm wants to close two mines in the next two years.
The government will get the power to increase pensions beyond the legal framework if their growth is very low under the existing rules, according to the amendment to the pension law passed by the Senate on Wednesday.
However, the increase arising from a government decision must not exceed 2.7 percent.
Thanks to the legislation, the government will be able to increase old-age pensions by up to 300 crowns a month next year. So far, the coalition parties have agreed on an increase by 200 crowns.
Under law, pensions are increased in the Czech Republic each January, taking into account the inflation rate and one-third of the growth in real wages. As these were low in the past period, the pensions only rose on average by 40 crowns this year.
