“Non riesco a far quadrare i conti con la mia pensione”: Mady, 68 anni, è costretta a fare le pulizie in palestra.

Tja als je op 55 op pensioen gaat, kan je niet verwachten dat de pensioenen hoog liggen natuurlijk. Je kan niet de helft werken en de helft pensioen trekken.

Hoe later op pensioen, hoe hoger ze kunnen zijn.

With my respects for retired people, especially for the ones with the lowest pensions, I think the headline is not correct. It is not true that she “has financial problems each month” or that she would be “forced” to clean.

She has a pension of 1.700€ and she herself explains that she chooses some expensive hobbies, like going out for dinner with friends and having holidays trips. That is more likely the reason for her to work.

There are indeed other countries in which many old people do not have enough money to live or to pay their medicines, like the “super power” USA or even that was beginning to happen in Germany. They are truly forced to work. That is not at all the case in Belgium, with our good (but improvable) social system.

I agree that lowest pensions should be increased a bit, but again, the headline portraits a situation that is not true in Belgium, and that colors a bit the reality into that right wing idea of “Soon (or already) we are not going to have decent public pensions”.

Het is wel algemeen geweten dat als je met pensioen gaat en nog steeds moet huren of afbetalen, je het zwaar gaat hebben.

*”Waarom geven jullie niet meer pensioen aan mensen die hun hele leven lang gewerkt hebben (55?)”*

Meer pensioen zonder volledige loopbaan dan sommige die werken (en zelfs nog kinderen hebben) en dan klagen. Die werkenden zouden dan minder moeten krijgen en de gepensioneerden meer. Boomer gonna boom.