Principle of raising pension age confirm (4)

(ANSA) - Rome, November 2 - The principle of raising the Italian pension age to 67 "remains confirmed", Economy Minister Pier Carlo Padoan said after meeting trade unions on lowering the age limit for especially arduous jobs Thursday. He said a negotiating "table" had been set up on heavy jobs "to see whether we can detach them from the automatic hike mechanism" in 2019. Padoan went on to say there was a "possibility" to improve the age-hiking mechanism laid down in a controversial 2011 reform named after then labour minister Elsa Fornero.
    He said this could be done while respecting the budget parameters set to keep the system sustainable in the long term.
    Susanna Camussdo, leader of the biggest and most leftwing union CGIL, said the unions would verify if there was a "real willingness" on the part of the government to change the mechanism and differentiate between jobs in another meeting on November 13.
    Padoan added that the unions had backed "many points" in the 2018 budget. Labour Minister Giuliano Poletti said earlier this week there needed to be talks "on a scientific basis" on the list of heavy jobs with higher mortality rates that could be exempted from the hike in the retirement age, so that those workers can retire earlier than 67. There has recently been talk of putting off the pension-age hike, which is currently set to be triggered in 2019.