Initiative "67 is Too much"

URSH Joins the Initiative “67 is Too much”

The Association of Croatian Trade Unions (URSH) has joined the trade union referendum initiative “67 is too much”. Signature collection begins on April 27, 2019, with the aim of gathering enough signatures to call a referendum on the proposed amendments to the Pension Insurance Act.

Objective of the Initiative

The referendum aims to repeal the pension reform passed by the Croatian Parliament, against which the unions had already warned during the protest in October 2018. It was announced then that signature collection would begin. It is crucial to enable fairer retirement conditions that better reflect the real-life circumstances of Croatian workers.

Proposed Amendments to the Law

The referendum question is formulated as a proposal to amend the Act, proposing:

Retirement at the age of 65 with 15 years of pensionable service.
Right to early retirement at the age of 60 with 35 years of service.
Reduction of penalties for early retirement from 0.3% to 0.2% per month of early departure.
Postponing the equalization of the retirement age for women and men until 2029.

Why “67 is Too much”

According to the current law, all born 1963. in the year and later – that is, workers under the age of 56 – must work until the age of 67, unless they accumulate 41 years of service earlier. Those who choose or are forced to retire early face a penalty of 0.30% per month, or even 18% for five years of early retirement. Such a system is considered unfair, as it is disproportionate to the expected lifespan in Croatia, especially after the age of 65.

Call to Workers and Citizens

URSH and the unions call on all workers, retirees, and citizens to join the initiative. The pension system concerns all of us – our children, parents, spouses, relatives, and friends. By participating in the signature collection, citizens can directly decide on the future of their pensions.