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Rosbalt, January 29, 2004

Deputies of the State Duma fail to prove any faults in Russian pension legislation

The Constitutional Court has acknowledged lawful the present pension legislation of the RF. Rosbalt obtained this information from the press service of State Duma deputy and member of the YABLOKO party Sergei Popov. We should note here that the present pension legislation excludes many periods from the labour term: the years of study in colleges and universities, military service, service in the police, years spent by a woman nursing a baby, time on unemployment benefit and some others.

In July 2003 deputies of the State Duma from the YABLOKO faction initiated an inquiry to the Constitutional Court. A further 115 deputies of the Duma signed the document. The Duma commissioned Sergei Popov as its representative in the Constitutional Court.

“The state established the rules of the game, but now acts as a notorious master of his word from a funny story – “to give or take back whenever he likes”, noted Sergei Popov. “De facto the law introduces new obligations for citizens (demanding in particular a longer labour term than before for several categories of workers) which have retroactive force, in direct contradiction with Article 55 of the Constitution of the RF.”

“I find this decision of the Constitutional Court incorrect, stressed Popov. – This issue will obviously be considered by the Strasburg Court.”

On compliance of the provisions of new pension legislation with the Basic Law of the country

This information excludes from the labour term the years of study and years spent by a woman nursing a baby.

Two hundred residents of St. Petersburg who will become pensioners in 2004 are going to appeal to the European Court for Human Rights in Strasbourg. According to Rosbalt correspondent, this was announced by State Duma deputy Sergei Popov, YABLOKO, during a press conference on Thursday. According to Popov, “their decision is based on the fact that the Constitutional Court of Russia has acknowledged as lawful today norms of pension legislation that exclude from the labour term the years of study and years spent by a woman nursing a baby. First would-be pensioners have to appeal to a court of general jurisdiction where they will certainly get a refusal and only then can they appeal to the Strasbourg court,” said Popov. Popov also noted that the state had deceived its citizens, excluding in 2002 several years from the term of their labour record.

It should also be noted that in July 2003 deputies of the State Duma forwarded to the Constitutional Court an inquiry on the compliance of the provisions of new pension legislation with the Basic Law of the country. The inquiry was initiated by deputies from the YABLOKO faction Igor Artemyev and Sergei Popov. Another 115 deputies of the Duma (from the CPRF, the Agro-Industrial group and number of deputies from Russia’s Regions) also signed the document.

 

Rosbalt, January 29, 2004

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