The government has decided how much the country’s pensioners and people with social security benefits will be allowed to carry forward.

The result of the social security settlement determines the income of over one million old-age pensioners, 364,000 disabled people and several others who receive benefits from Nav. On Tuesday it became clear how much more they will receive in payment, writes FriFagbevegelse.

Pensioners can expect 8.54 percent more in income, it is also clear that the basic amount in the national insurance will be increased by NOK 7,143 – from NOK 111,477 to NOK 118,620 from 1 May 2023. This corresponds to 6.41 per cent.

Disability benefits must increase in line with the government’s expected wage growth of 5.25 per cent plus an additional 0.6 percentage points. This is because too low a wage increase was used in the calculation of the disability benefit in last year’s settlement.

Everyone should have a dignified old age. It is therefore important to have a predictable and fair system for how old-age pensions and other social security benefits are adjusted annually, says Minister for Employment and Inclusion Marte Mjøs Persen.

One person who is not impressed by the government’s bragging about this year’s social security settlement is Rødt’s Mímir Kristjánsson.

It is not very wise to brag about a “historically good” social security settlement, when the only thing that actually happens is that you regulate social security and pensions in the same way every single year, writes Kristjánsson on Twitter, and adds:

I understand that it is tempting to put make-up on the corpse, but people see through that sort of thing.

The Rødt politician believes that “selling this as the government implementing some kind of boost for old-age pensioners is misleading”.

The old-age pensioners get what they are entitled to, no more, no less. The same applies to the social security system, writes Kristjánsson, who adds that it makes no sense to say that old-age pensioners are income winners, all the while the social security settlement comes in percentages and not in kroner.

The Prime Minister himself gets seven or eight times the income increase of a minimum pensioner. In kroner, of course, concludes Kristjánsson.