Pensioners from the Ecuadorian Institute of Social Security (IESS) held a protest this Tuesday, September 12, in front of the Insurance Fund, in Guayaquil, against the reforms of the Organic Decree of the Economic Emergency Law for the balance, organization and transparency of public finances.

According to the President of the National United Defense Front of IESS, José Ortiz, the executive branch proposal seeks to eliminate interest on national social security debts.

The regulation on risk and disaster management has a greater chance of passing the control of the Constitutional Court than the control of public finances

On September 5, President Guillermo Lasso sent two new decrees to the Constitutional Court (CC), one of which was for the balance, organization and transparency of public finances, which, according to the executive, proposes reforms to the Organic Code of Planning and Public Finance.

“The fundamental claim is that the President of the Republic is sending an urgent economic decree in which he wants to eliminate the interest on the state’s debts to social security, that is also in the matter of health, pensions, “that is. in general, the state is lagging behind, even this government did not manage to pay all 40 percent of pensions, when the majority managed between 30 and 40 percent, that’s why the pension fund is getting more and more defunded every day,” also said a member of the United Front for the Defense of IESS.

The proposal of the Executive Committee states: “As a necessary measure for the recovery of funds from the payment of goods and services, outside the usual periods approved by suppliers, especially between state entities and companies during the pandemic period, it proposes the release of interest, penalties and any other type of surcharge.”

Guillermo Lasso will send two decree laws on risk management and public resource management to the Constitutional Court

According to the leader, “the figure of the state’s debt to IESS is uncertain,” but he noted that according to one study, “perhaps this debt exceeds 40,000 million dollars.”

According to Ortiz, one of the fronts has already presented a amicus curiae and it is expected that another organization will present the same appeal on Thursday, and that the leading union will also amicus curiae next monday or tuesday. He believes that after that they must invite the organizations that present this appeal, and then be received by the president of the CC and the judges, to present and defend why these interests should not be eliminated.

Ortiz indicated that this Tuesday afternoon he will also decide on the day of the press conference and the headquarters in front of the IESS headquarters building in Quito.