The Minister of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration, Elma Saiz, has called into question that the PP will update pensions if it reaches La Moncloa after the general elections of November 29. She has recalled that "When they have had the opportunity to vote in favor of the revaluation of pensions, they have voted no".
Saiz intervened this Monday at a PSC event in Sant Boi de Llobregat (Barcelona), accompanied by the party's number 2 for Barcelona, Eva Granados, and by the vice-first secretary and socialist spokesperson, Lluïsa Moret.
The minister criticized the PP for having "broken the consensuses" reached in the Toledo Pact and for putting into doubt the viability of the public system, whose stability she has defended as assured. In addition, she warned of what she considers an hidden agenda of the conservatives that, in her view, involves privatizing and cutting back.
"They already did it when they governed," she noted, questioning whether an Executive headed by Alberto Núñez Feijóo would have maintained the update of pensions according to the CPI when inflation exceeded 8% in 2022 after the outbreak of the war in Ukraine.
The revaluation "will be a reality"
In contrast to the PP's position, Saiz defended that the socialists have indeed safeguarded the increase in pensions "because it is recognized by law" and because she considers it a matter of social justice.
She insisted that "The revaluation of pensions will be a reality" if the PSOE continues in Government, and she stressed that the sustainability of the system is guaranteed thanks to the reform promoted by Pedro Sánchez's Executive.
In this line, she highlighted that the Social Security Reserve Fund now has more resources than when the PP left power. She indicated that the conservatives left it with 5,000 million euros and that the forecast is that in 2026 it will reach some 20,000 million.
Eva Granados
Eva Granados claimed the role of pensions as a key tool for the redistribution of wealth, above numerous taxes and other policies: "Poverty would skyrocket to 36% if we did not have the pension system".
For this reason, she maintained that the right has as an "obsession" questioning the public model, and she warned that, after the elections, not only the PP's proposals in this matter would be applied, but also those of Vox, "because they are going to govern together if they add up".
"We have to listen very carefully to what Figaredo tells us. Because it is no longer Ester Muñoz who says that this is going to blow up, that it has to be reformed, ergo 'I'm going to cut', but rather now Figaredo is an authority," she has stated.
Lluïsa Moret
Lluïsa Moret, for her part, has denounced the "irresponsible" messages that, according to her, right-wing leaders are sending about pensions, accusing them of wanting to privatize them and turn them into a business for a few.
She has regretted the proliferation of "hoaxes, disinformation and lies" around the system, and has contrasted this with the fact that the Government has revalued pensions during this legislature and has strengthened their sustainability.
"It is a robust system, it is a sustainable system and one that, moreover, is not only guaranteeing the pensions of those of you who are now retired, but also, through intergenerational solidarity, we are preparing to also guarantee this right in future generations," she concluded.