A former public servant confronted Prime Minister Luís Montenegro during a visit to Livramento Market in Setúbal on May 7, 2025, during the campaign for the legislative elections. The woman declared she had worked 52 years and received only €680 pension, asking Montenegro if he thought that was fair. Montenegro responded that it would be necessary to analyze the specific case to understand the reason for the amount received.
During the same visit, Montenegro was approached by other retirees with similar complaints. A second pensioner stated she received a pension of €350, and the prime minister suggested she check if she met the conditions to benefit from the Solidarity Supplement for the Elderly. A former combatant in Guinea complained about having lost €280 from his pension during the troika period and never having recovered that amount.
The article explains that the number of years worked is not the only factor that determines the pension amount. Elements such as registered earnings throughout the career, the applicable social protection scheme, the time when contributions were made, and the rules in effect on the retirement date all factor into pension calculations, so only a detailed analysis of the contributory career would explain the €680 amount mentioned.
Since January 2026, disability and old-age pensions from Social Security and retirement, pension, and disability pensions from the General Retirement Fund up to €1,074.26 received a 2.80% increase, according to Ordinance No. 480-B/2025. However, the article states that this does not allow determining how much the pensioner who confronted Montenegro currently receives, since the details of her pension and contributory career are unknown.
