The Latvian Union of Internal Affairs Workers is considering the possibility of challenging changes in pension conditions for length of service in the Constitutional Court, reported LETA by the expert on education and employment of the Latvian Free Trade Union Confederation, Linda Romele.
The Chairman of the Board of the Latvian Union of Internal Affairs Workers, Armands Augustāns, confirmed that such a step is planned because, in the organization's opinion, there is unequal treatment of those officials with less than 15 years of service - these individuals will be significantly affected by the planned changes.
The union is also dissatisfied that upon the commencement of old-age pension payments, it will be calculated on general terms, although the old-age pension is usually significantly lower than the pension for length of service.
Augustāns stated that the union plans to challenge this procedure in the Constitutional Court, as it believes that the principle should be that if a person has worked and earned their due reward, they have the right to receive it for the rest of their life. In his opinion, this would correspond to the principle of fair remuneration enshrined in the Constitution.
Augustāns explained that the union does not criticize the idea of raising the retirement age, as it does not oppose it in general. However, according to him, the main issues lie in the details, which the union is still evaluating and is currently gathering information to determine how to act in the event of possible further disputes.
Augustāns added that preparing the application will take at least two to three months.
As previously reported, last week the Saeima adopted amendments to nine laws in the final reading, which provide for a gradual change to the current pension system for length of service starting in 2027. The changes will also affect those working in the internal affairs bodies.
