Social Security reform project promoted by retirees would have a free hand in the Assembly

The Social Security reform promoted by retirees as a popular initiative would have a free way in the National Assembly once the National Electoral Council (CNE) approved their signatures. This is indicated by the vice president of the Association of Affiliates, Retirees and Pensioners of the IESS of Pichincha and president of the National Front for a New IESS, Henry Llanes.

This representative of the retirees assures that on February 2 the CNE approved 54,557 signatures of this popular normative initiative, and that in this way they far exceeded the required signature requirement that the norm determines would be 32,748 valid signatures. “The path was clear, free of obstacles, for the National Assembly to initiate the reforms.”

The draft Reform Law to the Social Security Law and the Biess Law was already presented to the Assembly in October as a popular normative initiative and the validation of the signatures was expected to continue with the process, explains Llanes. “We presented the signatures to the National Assembly on October 19, what the Assembly did -once approval of admissibility was given- was that it sent the CNE to verify the signatures.”

The last time the retirement age was changed in Ecuador was 22 years ago and now it returns to the debate

Now they are waiting for the CNE’s notification to the Assembly so that the 180-day period established by the Constitution will elapse to deal with the proposal for various changes in the Ecuadorian Social Security Institute (IESS) and in the IESS Bank (Biess). Llanes details the five main axes:

1. Modify the composition of the Board of Directors of the IESS, so that affiliates and retirees of compulsory social security have a greater representation:

• Two representatives of the active affiliates, chosen by register by the 3 million active affiliates of the mandatory social security.
• A representative of the retirees, chosen by register by the 600,000 retirees of the obligatory social security.
• A representative of the national government that represents the employing institutions of the public sector.
• A representative of the private sector, chosen by register of all private sector employers affiliated with Social Security.

2. Modify the selection process for the members of the board of directors of the IESS bank.

3. Let Biess be a first-tier bank.

4. That Social Security have a shareholding in oil exploitation, in telecommunications, in metal mining and in the electricity sector so that the State pays the public debt it has with the IESS and fulfills this obligation.

5. That the State transfer Banco del Pacífico to Social Security, as part of the payment of the public debt that it has with the IESS.

How much can I now receive in retirement from the IESS according to my age and my years of contributions?

Llanes says that the project must go through the process in the legislative commission and then go to the first and second debate in plenary and that “the assembly members have all the power to improve the project, implement its reforms, what they cannot is deny it. The Constitution and the law say that projects under popular normative initiative cannot be denied by the National Assembly, unless actions of unconstitutionality have been committed and that in that case they cannot be denied but must be sent to the Court Constitutional so that it is the Court that pronounces and amends…”. The President cannot completely veto them either.

What the Constitution says

• This mechanism of normative popular initiative is contemplated by the Constitution as direct democracy. Article 103 establishes that it will be exercised to propose the creation, reform or repeal of legal norms before the Legislative Branch or any other body with normative competence. It must have the support of a number of not less than 0.25% of the people registered in the electoral registry of the corresponding jurisdiction.
• Those who propose the popular initiative will participate in the debate on the project in the corresponding body, which will have a period of 180 days to deal with the proposal. If you do not, the proposal will go into effect.
• In the case of a bill, the President of the Republic may amend the bill but not totally veto it, indicates article 103.
• For the presentation of proposals for constitutional reform, the support of a number of not less than 1% of the people registered in the electoral registry will be required. In the event that the Legislative Branch does not deal with the proposal within one year, the proponents may request the National Electoral Council to call a popular consultation, without the need to present 8% of support from those registered in the electoral registry. While a citizen proposal for constitutional reform is being processed, another cannot be presented. (YO)