Preferential Pension for Hammer and Press Operators in Ukraine

The metallurgical industry is an important sector of Ukraine’s economy, which is why the state provides various social guarantees for employees working in this field. To encourage people to work in industries involving difficult and hazardous working conditions, Ukrainian legislation provides certain social benefits, including special conditions for early retirement. This article focuses specifically on preferential pension entitlement for employees engaged in such work.

These occupations include hammer and press operators. Such employees operate steam, steam-air and pneumatic forging hammers with falling parts weighing up to 1.5 tonnes.

As regards pension entitlement, because these employees work under particularly difficult and hazardous working conditions, Ukrainian legislation provides them with the right to retire at the age of 50, subject to the applicable requirements. In particular, men must have at least 10 years of employment in the qualifying occupation, while women must have at least 7 years and 6 months of such employment. The required total insurance record is 25 years.

However, in practice, the Pension Fund of Ukraine may refuse to include such periods of employment in the preferential service record or may disregard them on formal grounds. Common problems include the absence of an employer’s stamp on the relevant employment record or on the first page of the employment record book. In some cases, the responsible official may have failed to sign the relevant entry, or the employment record book may contain corrections or other irregularities. The Pension Fund may rely on such deficiencies as grounds for refusing to grant a pension.

If you have already encountered such problems, a refusal by the Pension Fund does not necessarily mean that you have lost your right to a preferential pension. Periods of actual employment may be confirmed through court proceedings if sufficient evidence is available. Where the Pension Fund continues to unlawfully refuse to recognise the relevant service record, it is also possible to seek the granting of a pension through administrative court proceedings.