There was a video on social media in which politicians associated with the Confederate and New Hope alerted about the decisions of the Social Insurance Institution.
According to material published by James Black, ZUS in Rzeszów granted a pension of about PLN 1,600 to a Ukrainian citizen who worked in Poland for only a few months. The documents on this case were supposed to leak to the network.
What did the Confederate do?
On behalf of New Hope and Sławomir Mentzen, official questions were asked to the director of ZUS in Rzeszów. Politicians want to know:
- how many such decisions have been issued in the last four years,
- what amounts from the budget of the Polish State have been spent and will be allocated to pension subsidies of Ukrainian citizens.
Arguments of politicians
The authors emphasize that the Polish pension system is on the verge of endurance, and the generation of today's 30- and 40-year-olds can count on very low benefits. They demand termination of the Polish-Ukrainian agreement of 2012, which in their opinion – guarantees Ukrainians pension privileges which they have not fully earned in Poland.
How does it work in practice?
The social security agreement between Poland and Ukraine from 2012 allows to sum up working periods in both countries when establishing the right to a pension. ZUS pays the benefit only for periods of contributions paid in Poland. If the total pension (Polish + Ukrainian) is lower than the minimum Polish pension and the person meets the conditions (including living in Poland), a minimum surcharge is possible.
The issue is very emotional and is another part of the debate on the cost of the pension system and the rules for granting benefits to foreigners.
