Carmen Morera, a retiree, recently accessed her pension after contributing for 46 years. However, upon retirement, she discovered an 18% reduction applied to her benefits.
The penalty stems from her early retirement, a decision forced by a layoff and her inability to find new employment. Despite meeting all criteria for a full pension, Carmen now faces a lifelong reduction due to circumstances beyond her control.
Carmen shared her case through the ASJUBI40 platform, an organization advocating for the elimination of such penalties for workers with extensive contribution histories. The platform highlights that hundreds of thousands of retirees—those who started working very young—face similar cuts, leaving them with a diminished pension.
ASJUBI40 argues that exemptions from reductions for professions like police officers or miners create a comparative grievance, even if those roles are deemed hazardous.
Carmen and many others are demanding that the system recognize workers who have spent their entire lives contributing. The issue is not retiring early but feeling penalized after a lifetime of work.
