He said there are more than a million retirees in the Kingdom and they were demanding a minimum basic pension of SR5,000. The association had presented a memorandum to Crown Prince Naif, deputy premier and minister of interior and the association’s honorary president, with this request.
Bougary hoped the pension of retirees would be increased in accordance with increases in the cost of living. He also requested the government to give retirees exemption from paying certain charges, including fees for renewing the iqamas of maids and passports.
“The medical bill of most retirees take a big chunk of their income as they do not receive any insurance coverage,” Bougary said, and called upon the government to subsidize health insurance for pensioners.
“The government should introduce a special cooperative insurance for retirees who have spent their whole lives contributing to the Kingdom’s progress,” he said.
Retired workers from the public sector come under the Pension Fund while those from the private sector come under the General Organization for Social Insurance, he said, adding that they face similar difficulties.
Bougary hoped the government would provide retirees with a variable allowance that increases in line with inflation in order to help them meet the increasing cost of living. “Every year more than 100,000 Saudis retire and join the association.”
The Shoura Council agreed on Monday to raise the minimum pension given to retired civil servants to SR4,000. The decision was taken at the 72nd regular session of the council held under the chairmanship of the council's new Vice Chairman Mohammed Amin Jefri.
Some pensioners have been receiving less than SR3,000 in monthly allowances. The proposal to raise the minimum pension was put to the vote during discussions on the annual report of the Pension Fund. The majority of members voted in favor of the proposal.
