Nineteen percent of the 72,000 Madeirans who are on the poverty line are retired. That is, nearly 14,000. Many of these retired people have no means to put on the table or pay for their medication.
The warning comes from Baptista Monteiro, spokesperson for the Association of Retirees and Pensioners in Madeira, which has 300 members. This morning, some of them gathered at the central sign on Avenida Arriaga to warn that, since the last elections, no one has heard of this group again.
Baptista Monteiro recalled to the newspaper that during the election campaign, “Montenegro talked a lot about putting the lowest pensions at the minimum wage.” So far, he continued, “nothing has been done.” This Association is demanding, among other measures, at least a 5% increase in pensions. It says that there are retirees and pensioners complaining about high rents and a lack of money to go to the supermarket.