Pensioners demand equal rights for all widowers

Pensioners’ organisations have demanded the “immediate lifting of an injustice against widowers” so that their rights are “equal for all”, regardless of the date of death of their spouse.

In a letter said to the labour ministry and the cabinet, the organisations said the state should take a “clear stance on the issue without further delay”.

In a press release on Friday, the organisations said they have demanded an “immediate meeting” with the labour minister to explain that the widowers were “not just a social but also a deeply institutional issue, as it had to do with equality, social justice and dignity”.

Currently, men whose spouses died before January 2018 are not entitled to a widower’s pension.

The organisations will be meeting on May 6 at 3.30pm to discuss developments.