Pension negotiations begin: Key issues and the minister's determination

Minister of Labor Marinos Mousiouttas is initiating pension reform negotiations with social partners, presenting a draft bill on Wednesday. The government aims to implement reforms by January 1, 2027, with or without consensus, planning to submit the bill to Parliament by September 20. Key areas of negotiation include pension increases for 123,000 retirees, reducing the 12% early retirement penalty, addressing widowers' pensions for men widowed before 2018, and determining if contributions to provident funds should be mandatory or voluntary.