Dodon Promised Assistance for the Moldovan Population by Winter Holidays, Unemployment Benefits and Salaries Increasing

Moldovan President Igor Dodon announced seven measures to support the population, which the government and parliament will implement in the near future. The head of state made this promise on November 18 after a meeting of the Supreme Security Council. He also said that the president, parliamentary speaker and prime minister would discuss everything that needs to be done for the country every week on Mondays. First of all, the authorities decided to give out assistance in the amount of 700 lei to all pensioners by the winter holidays. More than 620 thousand pensioners will get it. The second measure is that in the coming weeks the parliament will approve a bill that will allow indexing pensions twice a year starting on 2020. This is a bill that the presidential administration initiated in parliament this summer and which was discussed only during parliamentary commissions. The third measure is to increase social aid to pay for heating from 350 to 500 lei. 300 thousand families will benefit from it. The fourth measure is the presidential administration’s earlier initiative that, in the event of the death of a just retired citizen, his/her spouse can receive his/her pension within five years after death. Another measure is benefits increasing to veterans from 100 to 300 lei. Dodon called the lump-sum benefit increasing for doctors and pharmacists who work in villages: from 45 thousand lei to 120 thousand lei for doctors and from 36 thousand lei to 96 thousand lei for paramedics as a sixth measure. The seventh measure is the growth of public sector salary by at least 10%. The President said that salaries for kindergarten teachers and teachers, as well as social workers would increase by 17-18%. Moreover, all budget sector employees shall receive in 2020 – a yearly bonus in the amount of up to 50% of the current salary. Dodon said that the authorities raised this money for these seven measures. The Speaker of the Parliament, Zinaida Greceanîi, has mentioned that social initiatives will be supported in the legislature in the interest of the citizens, regardless of who they come from. Initiatives are to be endorsed by the Government and submitted to Parliament. Prime Minister Ion Chicu has stated that in the near future, a government meeting will be held and the ministers will discuss urgent measures that need to be taken to improve the lives of citizens. Newsmaker