Rafalska: ban on retirees working is “not an option”

Poland’s Minister for Family, Labour and Social Policy, Elżbieta Rafalska said in a radio interview on Friday that discussions and debates on specifics related to Poland’s recently-passed retirement legislation would not mean that retired persons would be banned from working. “I deny [that] absolutely. There is no such plan. In my department, there was no work on [a] ban of combining work with retirement." She added that her ministry “is a supporter of not restricting earnings [made during retirement]." Rafalska was responding to questions about proposals arising from a review of the new law, which returns the retirement age to 65 for men and 60 for women, from the previous age of 67. The proposals centered on issues such as length of service [of employment], minimum pensions and indexation. She indicated that the implementation of these proposals was subject to interdepartmental consultations, which are currently taking place. A final recommendation on exactly how to proceed with the law would be given to the Cabinet by the end of December, she said.