Boris Zaychuk and Sergey Tigipko

Chairman of the pension fund of Ukraine Boris Zaychuk (right) and Vice Prime Minister-Minister of Social Policy Sergey Tigipko (right) in the loge of government during a session of the Parliament of Ukraine, in Kiev, on Thursday, July 7, 2011. The People´s Deputies started to scrutinize the bill on legislative support of pension system in the second reading. Adjusting the bill to the second reading, the Committee on the Matters of Pensioners, Veterans and People with Disabilities received 1 179 motions and amendments from the subjects of legislative initiative. 528 of them were taken into accounts, 651 were rejected. The committee harmonized several proposals with the Cabinet of Ministers. Thus, the committee recommended not to raise the retirement age for women, and leaving the normative length of service for calculating the minimum pension. Although several provisions of the bill were compromised, the committee does not uphold the draft. The People´s Deputies started to scrutinize the amendments to the bill. Scrutiny lasted till 01.30 of July 8. The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine adopted the Law "On Legislative Support of the Pension Reform" in the second reading and in its entirety by 248 votes. Photo by Andrey Skakodub / UNIAN