Rui Rocha, leader of Iniciativa Liberal (IL), addressed reporters after visiting a dairy product-focused agrifood company in Vila do Conde, Porto district. He responded to comments by Paulo Raimundo, the secretary-general of the Portuguese Communist Party (PCP), who accused the right of planning a social security takeover.
Rui Rocha argued that the current social security system fails to ensure decent pensions for those actively working today once they retire. He emphasized the need to establish conditions that guarantee adequate pensions for future retirees.
Expressing concerns for individuals aged 30 to 50, Rocha stated that their pensions are projected to be barely above 40% of their last salary, highlighting this as a grave issue known to all yet publicly addressed only by IL.
Rui Rocha described people between the ages of 35 and 67 as a “sandwiched generation,” bearing the nation’s burden without adequate returns in public services or wages, and warned against significant income reductions upon retirement.
He proposed social security reforms to address this issue, alongside savings instruments with tax advantages. When questioned about the need for a political consensus on such reforms, Rocha stressed the importance of political will and invited all who recognize the problem to collaborate.
Rocha criticized other parties for ignoring the issue and assured that IL will continue to propose solutions, despite others’ political paralysis or lack of courage to acknowledge the problem.
He noted that while discussions often focus on current retirees, meaningful reforms rely on economic growth, without which future pensions would decline further, a scenario he deemed unacceptable.
