Labour Ministry to propose changes to early retirement rules for hazardous professions

The Ministry of Labour will prepare a proposal to change the rules for early retirement for demanding professions, Labour Minister Aleš Juchelka (ANO) said after a meeting with trade union leaders in Ostrava. Trade unions are calling for the option of early retirement for more workers in hazardous occupations. Under the present system, introduced by the former government, only workers in the highest-risk fourth category and a limited number of selected professions can retire earlier without a reduction in benefits. This applies to around 12,000 people. A further 108,000 workers in the third category, were excluded from the reform amendment due to the slower increase in the retirement age. Trade unions are pushing to make them eligible for early retirement.