Lacalle participated this Friday, May 20, in the inauguration of school No. 98 in Mercedes, an investment that exceeds 73 million pesos. The school operates in the full-time modality, from 08:00 to 15:30, 237 students attend, who also receive English, art and physical education classes. The building covers an area of more than 1,000 square meters and includes nine classrooms, an office, a teachers’ lounge, a dining room, a kitchen, a pantry, a dental office and a sports field.
Social Security
After the inauguration of the works, the president was consulted by the press about the controversial reform of the social security system.
In this sense, Lacalle said that we must leave a sustainable system.
“I made a commitment to the population, which was to reform social security, because we all know that if it follows this path, future generations will not be able to retire as they deserve. At the same time, it must be made fairer, that is, that those most submerged pensions benefit from a significant increase and that personal savings also have an important role, “said Lacalle.
He added: “Then we have those savings banks that are private, such as Banking, Professional and others (Military) that have needed and still need assistance and that it does not seem very logical that all Uruguayans contribute to sustain them.”
The president stated that, as the system is weak, he hopes that in the medium term the government can send to Parliament a bill agreed upon with the ruling coalition and also with the opposition, “because both Danilo Astori and former presidents Tabaré Vázquez and José Mujica said at the time that the social security reform was urgent, they all went through the government and if they didn’t, then it is becoming more and more urgent”.
political cost
On the other hand, he wondered about the possible political cost that the reform could have
“What is the political cost? If I think it’s fair, “she said.
He added that the only ones whose status does not change at all are retirees, “they are the first ones who have to be calm.”
“While to young people who are of working age or are starting to work, we are going to tell them: if there is no reform, you will not be able to retire with a decent and fair retirement. So we are all going to have to make an effort,” she added.
Regarding the possible content of the project, Lacalle said that “a person who worked as a clerk is not the same as a person who carried 25-kilo bags of portland for 30 years. The life of a rural laborer, in the sacrifice of that job, is not the same as that of another person who works in the area of technology; there too you have to be fair, but sometimes it is not entirely possible to reach the greatest justice”.
“A political cost would be to say that we are going to do it, but then since we are not sure if we have the votes or we do not know how people will like it, then we delete ourselves, but that is not my way of being,” he commented.
The head of state clarified that there is still no bill, and that the document of the Committee of Experts does not establish a strict increase in the retirement age, it does establish normal retirement and the possibility of retiring earlier, for some more sectors. sacrificed from the activity.
He explained that the reform “would not cover the whole world”, but from certain years and here there are two proposals: add one more year of work for those born from 1967 until successively completing 65 years of age; that is to say that those born in 1967 could retire at 61 years of age, those born in 1968 at 62 years of age until reaching 65 years of age for those born in 1972; and the other possibility is to add one more year from those born in 1971 until reaching 65 years for those born in 1975.
“I don’t want to be orthodox, if the entire political system agrees, I’m not going to cling to the little book either; yes, we have to make a system that is sustainable, because if we only put some things in it and do not put others in it, we would be aggravating the system, ”he clarified.
