KOVO Trade Union to march for earlier retirement this weekend

The KOVO trade union has prepared a march for earlier retirement without people having to cut the sum of their pension, on Saturday (October 14) in Bratislava, its chief Emil Machyna announced on Monday. KOVO suggests setting the upper retirement age by law at 64 years. It has already launched a petition for early retirement with some 14,000 signatures already collected. About 2,000 people are expected to take part in the event, marching from the Government Office building to the Labour, Social Affairs and the Family Ministry building. "People are still working more and more. Labour productivity is growing, as much as profitability is, with Slovakia showing the highest share of overtime and weekend work, as well as work in non-stop operations from EU countries. That's why we want to assert the possibility of an earlier retirement for people working in non-stop operations or at risky workplaces," said Machyna. KOVO wants to call on the Labour Ministry to start working on legislation that would cap the retirement age and the so-called "pre-pension". The rules concerning the retirement age in Slovakia changed as of January 1, 2017. The retirement age so far of 62 years will change every year depending on the average life expectancy, with there being no fixed upper limit for the retirement age. This year it will be prolonged by 76 days, while in 2018 it should be prolonged by an additional 63 days.