Retirement and pension insurance schemes in 1989 - 1995

The paper is not a continuation of the history of insurance presented in an Ossolineum publication describing the insurance system in the years 1920-1989 but is rather an analysis of the transformations of the system and laws in years 1989 - 1995 with regards pension and retirement policies. Despite the fact that during the investigated period the constitution was amended a number of times, the principles of pension and retirement insurance remained unchanged. Moreover, in practice the tendency to provide for the after retirement period and to pay pension benefits even at the cost of salaries and wages was stronger than ever. This was evidenced in the fast growing compensation rate (ratio: average pension benefit to average pay) and - in the aspect of the financing of insurance benefits - high insurance premiums and increased amounts of government subsidies. The paper contains a critical analysis of the statutory changes in the insurance system which were introduced in the analysed period. Major legislative mistakes made in 1989 - 1990 were particularly emphasised as they led to a considerable financial inefficiency of the system and created adverse effects on later changes introduced in 1991 - 1995. In the conclusion the author states that the mistakes committed earlier were due to insufficient knowledge and not the result of the absence of the political will and wish to carry out reforms of the system (and thus the common opinion has been rejected as not proved); however, the existing defect in the transformations of the pension/retirement insurance system may negatively influence the future development of the whole process.Digitalizacja i deponowanie archiwalnych zeszytów RPEiS sfinansowane przez MNiSW w ramach realizacji umowy nr 541/P-DUN/201