Campaign against crisis: defend retired persons ` rights

1. Retired Persons` Trade Union of Croatia - SUH Campaign against crisis:defend retired persons` rights

2. Crisis chooses the weakest Out of 1,070,000 retired persons with regular, not privileged, pensions: • 174,000 have pensions less than 1.000 kn (135 EUR) • 52% have pensions less than 2.000 kn (270 EUR) • More than 80% have pensions less than 3.000 kn (405 EUR)!

3. Europe, Croatian style It is clearly defined in EU that those with pensions less than 60% of average wage, are considered to be poor. The poverty line in Croatia is 3,120 kn (420 EUR). Average pension in Croatia is 2,125 kn (290 EUR), which is only 40.8% of the average wage. Therefore almost everyone is poor.

4. Crisis determines the future • The main problem of the current crisis is the repetition of the negative scenario from the beginning of 1990s when practically a hundred thousand people were retired forcedly. • Even now the number of dismissed workers who will be early retired is growing. Furthermore, due to changes in health legislation, it can be expected that all workers who are on sick leaves longer than 6 months will be forcedly retired.

5. Black days for Croatian workers • Due to the increasing number of dismissed workers who end up unemployed, pension funds are also being reduced, because contributions are not paid for the majority of the unemployed. • Retired persons to active workers ratio is becoming worse: now one retired person is burden for 1.4 workers, and if negative estimations of employers – of 50,000 dismissals - become true, this ratio will become lower.

6. Our message before elections • All this leads towards a new attack on workers and retired persons and their rights. What can be expected: the increase of retirement age /in an increasing number of countries in Europe the retirement age is 67 years – for both genders/; some even threat with freezing of pensions and even delays in payment of pensions. • Whatever the power-holders try to realize without serious analysis and social dialogue with all trade unions and active and retired workers – they need to know that retired and elderly persons – with members of their families - represent 30% of their constituency.

7. We start a campaign on 7 May 2009 Retired Person's Trade Union of Croatia - SUHstarts a campaign to defend retired person` s rights, at the same day in all Croatian counties; it calls upon the citizens to support SUH` s Fighting List with their signatures. This leaflet was printed in 100,000 copies. On 7 May 2009 we start with its distribution all over Croatia.

8. What are we fighting for? • Why are we doing this? What are our aims? • First of all, we want Croatian retired persons to know that there are organizations which are not just government's spongers and whose main aim is not just organizing excursions, but real trade union fight for retired persons` rights – exactly what SUH has been doing for the past 17 years.

9. What are we fighting for? • Secondly, we want Croatian retired persons to become familiar with our Fighting list which expresses our positions and our aims in 32 demands. • Thirdly, we want political parties to recognize our demands and incorporate them in their programmes.

10. Workers` solidarity without borders SUH is affiliated to the Union of Autonomous Trade Unions of Croatia – UATUC, and will implement the campaign partly in cooperation with this largest trade union confederation in Croatia. SUH is also affiliated toFERPA/European federation Of Retired and Elderly Persons/ and thanks to their support, and especially the support of Italian trade union SPI-CGIL we managed to print our leaflet.

11. Trade union of our future • Yes, we fight to defend the rights of retired persons, the majority of which cannot cover their cost of living. • But we also fight for future rights of current workers whose future will be even more uncertain without our fight. Therefore we call upon all to signforthesupportof SUH`s Fighting List!

12. Future has no age!