The committee for the defense of pensions and insurances asked to gradually increase pensions for all categories, so that they are at least LE 600 per month. At the same time, it demanded the abolition of any cap on those pensions. In a statement issued yesterday, the committee backed the government's decision to raise the minimum social security pension from LE 50 or LE 80 to LE 160 per month and to expand the base of beneficiaries from 1.7 to two million families. However, it said the decision was not enough to meet the families' needs, pointing out that the Ministry of Finance would take the money to disburse these raises from the State Treasury and not from social insurance funds.
The committee questioned the government's stance on some 4.5 million pensioners who provide for at least 20 million Egyptians. It stressed that pensioners have regularly paid their social insurance contributions for decades, and that the government owes them and insured people LE 362 billion. It explained that some 500,000 retirees got less than LE 55 per month, 1.4 million less than LE 150, some 2.6 million less than LE 330, 3.34 million between LE 330 and LE 1000, and only 2% more than LE 1,000. As for the highest category, the committee said it was made up of ministry deputies, ambassadors, former senior statesmen and others. The committee called for a gradual increase of pensions, so that the minimum for the first categories of pensioners be at least LE 600 per month.
