Prime Minister Golob: "The signing of this agreement is a victory of dialogue and mutual respect among actors"

In his opening remarks, Prime Minister Golob emphasised that today's signing is proof that a respectful dialogue between different actors leads to the best and most balanced solutions. "From day one, this Government has been committed to the principle that social dialogue is essential. That is why we have revived it and conducted it in a constructive and respectful manner. I am convinced that today's signing is the clearest possible proof of this," the Prime Minister said.

He recalled that the agreement on salary reform was signed in the same room in November. "Both the negotiations back then and now were challenging, but the negotiators successfully concluded them. Today marks another victory - a victory of dialogue and mutual respect among the actors involved," the Prime Minister stressed.

He added that the pension reform was not driven by anyone's expectations but was a necessity due to an ageing society, requiring measures to ensure the financial sustainability of the public pension system. "Three key goals have guided us: securing adequate pensions for current pensioners, ensuring the long-term sustainability of the pension system so that the general government budget will be able to continue to provide adequate pensions in the future, and fostering confidence among younger generations that pensions will remain sufficiently high and dignified when the time comes for them to retire. All these three objectives had to be woven together like a mosaic, and I am proud that the social partners have successfully achieved this," said Prime Minister Golob. He thanked Minister Luka Mesec, who led the social dialogue and the reform, as well as Ministers Klemen Boštjančič and Matjaž Han for their contributions.

"This balance is most evident in the fact that the changes are not at the expense of current pensioners. On the contrary. The measures taken have ensured that all benefits are systematically regulated and no longer depend on individual governments or budgets," said the Prime Minister. This includes the income support, the administrative relief of the annual bonus and the introduction of an entirely new winter bonus. "In this way, we have ensured that, starting this year, all pensioners will receive a Christmas bonus with their November pension, in addition to their current benefits. It will be EUR 150 this year and will increase by EUR 20 each year until it reaches EUR 250 in 2030. This is not a mere individual allowance, but a systemic regulation of all allowances," the Prime Minister stressed. Until now, these allowance have been subject to annual budget negotiations. "Politicians, together with the social partners, have made a commitment to ensuring that pensioners are entitled to this as a legal right. This will significantly improve both the quality of life and confidence that these payments will be made, helping people cope with higher winter bills," the Prime Minister added.

"Pensions and care for the elderly are one of the guiding principles of any socially-oriented government, including ours. That is why it was so important to ensure that this reform, which guarantees long-term sustainability, did not come at the expense of existing pensioners. I believe that we have fully achieved this goal by systematising these measures," concluded Prime Minister Robert Golob.