During the election campaign, the message from Jens-Frederik Nielsen was clear: mandatory pension savings must be abolished. But now the tone from the chairman of the Greenlanders’ government has changed.
Mandatory pension savings must be abolished. That was clearly stated by the chairman of the Greenlandic Parliament, Jens-Frederik Nielsen (D), during the election campaign.
But now there are different tones. He can no longer promise that the scheme will be abolished, or that no one will be forced to save anymore.
Because it has proven more difficult than expected during the coalition negotiations.
– I of course stand by my election promises. But we also all know that when a coalition is formed between several parties, negotiations take place. It is on this basis that agreements are made, and we are obliged to follow them, says Jens-Frederik Nielsen to KNR.
The coalition agreement states that it is a goal to reform the pension system. A working group will be established, and based on its recommendations, a political agreement will be made in 2026. However, it is still unclear whether the working group will recommend making pension savings completely voluntary. The working group has not yet started its work.
They want to abolish it – but not for everyone
Without waiting for the working group, the Greenland government has taken the first step:
– We are working to remove the automatic savings via the tax card as soon as possible. This must of course be processed according to the procedures in Inatsisartut, says Jens-Frederik Nielsen.
The Greenland Government is thus working to ensure that automatic savings no longer appear on the tax card, he says.
It is uncertain
But even if it comes into force, there will still be compulsory savings. For example, employees and public servants will continue to have savings deducted from their salaries. It was a theme during the election campaign that this compulsion should be removed. But now that power has been taken over, it turns out to be a more complex task. The abolition of the compulsion will therefore not be done again now.
– A full solution requires time, says Jens-Frederik Nielsen.
At the same time, he recognizes that it is important for citizens to save:
– Savings are important, he says.
Reply to Erik Jensen
On Friday, Siumut’s member of Inatsisartut, Erik Jensen, strongly criticized the government leader and believed that it would be a failure towards the voters if Demokraatit did not live up to their election promise.
Jens-Frederik Nielsen, however, cannot understand the criticism:
– Erik Jensen knows very well that the coalition is working on the basis of the coalition agreement. All parties in the current government have negotiated and accepted the agreement before the government was formed, says Naalakkersuisut chairman Jens-Frederik Nielsen to KNR.
According to Erik Jensen, one of the main reasons why Demokraatit came into government was precisely the election promise to abolish compulsory pension savings. He has previously criticized the KNR for not fully implementing the promise.
– It is not okay to promise something in the election campaign and then not implement it afterwards. It looks like you are making fun of the voters, Erik Jensen told KNR on Friday.
Jensen: Should we remain in the coalition?
Lack of action on election promises leads Erik Jensen to question whether Siumut should remain in the coalition.
KNR has attempted to get a comment from Siumut’s chairman, Vivian Motzfeldt, about whether Erik Jensen’s criticism is also the party’s position. But she has not yet returned.
If Siumut chooses to withdraw from the coalition, it will be a shame for the Greenland government, says Jens-Frederik Nielsen. However, he cannot decide over his partners.
– What Siumut chooses is Siumut’s decision. I haven’t received anything official yet. But I would be sad, because right now we need broad cooperation, says Jens-Frederik Nielsen.