"Economic growth, employment and solidarity are the guarantees for maintaining pensions", says Soraya Sáenz de Santamaría

"Spain has posted growth of 3.3% with one of the highest rates in the European Union", which has led to the creation of 1,500 jobs each day", stated the Vice-President of the Government, who also stressed that "stability and growth are key".

According to Soraya Sáenz de Santamaría, the most important aspect to maintain the Social Security system is contributor numbers", and recalled the problems suffered by the system with "the shedding of 3.3 million jobs during the crisis". "This trend has now been turned around. While in the past, three contributors were being lost for each new pension, jobs are presently being created for five people for each new pensioner", explained Soraya Sáenz de Santamaría.

In her speech, Soraya Sáenz de Santamaría placed great emphasis on the idea that the improvement and progress made in the Social Security system "means we are helping build our State, since this is a reflection of the solidarity of the Spanish people", and added that we have one of the most extensive systems in Europe and this is one of the institutions rated most highly by our citizens.

Commitment to the pension system

In her speech, the Minister for Employment and Social Security, Fátima Báñez, went on to recall the government's commitment to the public pension and Social Security system, "materialised through a raft of decisions that have been adopted to tackle the undeniable challenge that the social credibility and economic sustainability of the system had to face during the crisis".

Pool Moncloa / Diego CrespoFor the Minister for Employment and Social Security, the government has also fulfilled its commitment to offer our citizens a modernised public administration, where new technologies and online access to procedures and benefits play a priority role. Fátima Báñez particularly highlighted the Direct Settlement System and the web initiative "Tu Seguridad Social (TuSS) - [Your Social Security]" among the advances made.

The minister recalled how the Social Security system is set up "to be the home for 9.5 million pensions", which means that in just a decade (2007-2017), 1.2 million new pensions have been incorporated within the system. "We now have more people who are protected, higher pensions and new benefits that back the incorporation of women into the labour market and their impact as contributors to the system", clarified Fátima Báñez.

At present, according to Fátima Báñez, the Social Security system is once again significantly increasing its contributor numbers, with close on 18 million contributors in work, and "we have now recovered 1,698,308 contributors, representing 50.8% of the contributors lost as a result of the economic crisis".

New Integrated Office in Reus

The new Integrated Office, which will provide services to more than 200,000 people, will employ some 100 public employees, and has a surface area of more than 2,600 square metres. The building will host the Attention and Information Centre of the Social Security (Spanish acronym: CAISS), the Local Administration and the Enforced Collection Unit (Spanish acronym: URE) of the General Treasury of the Social Security, which were previously housed in different locations.

The incorporation within a single building of the whole management and information system for pensions, contributions and collection, more modern facilities that satisfy the new needs deriving from electronic government, facilities of a size that are more in keeping with the needs of the number of public employees and clients attended to each day at the offices - resulting in a significant reduction in the costs of maintenance, taxes and energy bills - are some of the most significant benefits of the new Integrated Office.