Ukraine's opposition Batkivschyna Party has called on people to attend rallies on July 7 against the adoption of the pension reform at parliament.
"Pensioners are being robbed on the orders of [President Viktor] Yanukovych, who swore before the election that he would not raise the retirement age," the Batkivschyna Party said in a statement, the party’s press service reported on Tuesday.
The rally against the "arbitrariness of the authorities," will start at 0900 on Thursday, July 7, near the Pechersky District Court of Kyiv at 42-a Khreshchatyk Street (the court which is hearing the criminal case against former prime minister and Batkivschyna leader Yulia Tymoshenko).
The opposition urges people to march along the streets of Kyiv and express their position: "No to a plundering pension reform."
The Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine’s parliament, approved a government bill on pension reform at first reading on June 16. Parliament Speaker Volodymyr Lytvyn said that the parliament, would consider the bill at second reading on Thursday, July 7.
Representatives of Ukrainian trade unions spoke against the adoption of the controversial pension reform. The Communist Party of Ukraine has announced its intention to organize mass protests against the adoption of the bill.
