A video has appeared on social media in which politicians linked to Confederation and New Hope raise the alarm over a decision by the Social Insurance Institution (ZUS).
According to material published by Jakub Czarnota, the ZUS branch in Rzeszów granted a pension of about 1,600 zł to a Ukrainian citizen who had worked in Poland for only a few months. The documents in this case reportedly leaked online.
What did Confederation do?
On behalf of New Hope and Sławomir Mentzen, official questions were sent to the director of ZUS in Rzeszów. The politicians want to know:
- how many such decisions were issued in the last four years,
- what amounts from the Polish state budget have been and will be allocated to pension top-ups for Ukrainian citizens.
The politicians’ arguments
The authors of the material stress that the Polish pension system is at the limit of its endurance, and that today’s 30- and 40-year-olds can expect very low benefits. They call for the termination of the 2012 Polish-Ukrainian agreement, which, in their view, guarantees Ukrainians pension privileges they have not fully earned in Poland.
How does it work in practice?
The 2012 social security agreement between Poland and Ukraine allows periods of work in both countries to be combined when establishing the right to a pension. ZUS pays benefits only for contribution periods paid in Poland. If the combined pension (Polish plus Ukrainian) is lower than the Polish minimum and the person meets the conditions (including residence in Poland), a top-up to the minimum is possible.
The case is stirring strong emotions and is another element of the debate about the costs of the pension system and the rules for granting benefits to foreigners.
