The Minister sees opportunities to continue with early retirement if there is heavy work

Minister of Social Affairs Van Hijum does not deny the opposition parties’ desire to extend the scheme that allows people with a demanding profession to stop working earlier.

“We really see how important this topic is,” said the NSC minister. “Not everyone retires healthy.”

GroenLinks-PvdA and the SP will attend today praise to extend the temporary scheme that allows people to retire earlier, the Early Retirement Scheme (RVU). That arrangement expires next year and there is no replacement yet.

Van Hijum wants to consult with the unions and employers, but this concerns more than just early retirement for people with a challenging career. “It relates to all sorts of interrelated issues: working longer and the tightening of the labor market, for example.”

Van Hijum is also thinking about measures that should ensure that more people reach retirement in good health. The minister engages in discussions with employers and workers with “great enthusiasm”. “I am confident that we can reach an agreement with the social partners.”

Extending the temporary arrangement will have a financial impact on the already overburdened treasury, he warns. For example, there is a tax exemption for employers to help pay the early benefit in some cases.

The question is whether the RVU will be kept unchanged. Van Hijum wants to take a good look at “who and under what conditions” the scheme will be involved in the future.

To continue his resignation, Van Hijum must visit his colleague Heinen from Finance. This morning, when he arrived in Catshuis where the budget negotiations are going on, he did not reveal much about the matter. “This is a week when there are a lot of requests for extra money. I understand that, but we put the whole puzzle together.”