Solidarity leader Piotr Duda (left) before meeting with PM Tusk, Tuesday: photo - PAP/Rafal Gruz
A majority of MPs passed the first reading of the bill in late April where it was then sent to a special committee to review compromise measures added by the junior coalition partner, the Polish Peasant's Party (PSL), whereby partial retirement can be taken by women at 62 years old of they have been working for 35 years and men at 65 years old if they have been working for 40 years.
Leszek Miller, leader of the opposition Democratic Left Alliance (SLD), which opposes the bill, has criticised the apparent haste in which the government is forcing through the planned reforms.
“The committee is working rapidly so that the president can sign the bill before the 8th of June, the start of Euro 2012,” Miller told Polish Radio this morning.
Yesterday, Prime Minister Donald Tusk had talks with head of the Solidarity trade union, Piotr Duda, who bitterly opposes the planned pension reforms and has promised protest action during the Euro 2012 championships.
Piotr Duda said he would attempt to convince the prime minister to refrain from extending the pension age to the planned 67 for both men and women.
The trade unionists have vowed to set up another 'retirement village' in the capital to protest against the reforms.
A two-hour work-to-rule action was launched by customs officers on Tuesday, in protest against the government led by Donald Tusk's Civic Platform party leaving them out of the list of uniform services, such as police and armed forces, entitled to early retirement.
“Customs officers have never been part of the uniform services pension framework, so we can hardly speak of deteriorating work conditions for them,” said government spokesperson Paweł Graś.
“I don’t remember any unequivocal declaration made by the government that such changes would take place. As the country has found itself amid a nationwide austerity drive, now is not the right time to talk of additional privileges, as we are curbing them for other professional groups,” he added.
In a letter forwarded to Prime Minister Donald Tusk, the customs trade unions explained last week that the decision to launch protests was taken in response to the government’s inaction to the unions’ appeals for privileges made since last year.
The National Cross-Union Protest Committee also announced an open letter had been sent to UEFA chief Michel Platini, warning that protests would climax at the Euro 2012 football championship due in June. (pg/ab)