Retirement at 72? The mere mention of such a possibility was enough to stir up serious anxiety among workers - and to provoke a sharp response from the unions.

The subject was opened by the finance minister, who claims there is still no decision at all on raising the retirement age. But simply throwing the figure "72" out into the public was enough. The Union of Trade Unions (SSM) immediately reacted: "The pension fund's deficit cannot be solved by extending the working life."

Instead of working into deep old age, the unions demand the opposite - early pensions, benefit-weighted service for hard occupations, and reforms that will stabilise the system without workers paying for it with their health. And they have a point in one thing: the fund's deficit is a real problem, but the question is who will cover it. So far, every time the accounts didn't add up, the easiest thing was to shift the burden onto the backs of those who work.

The Balkan worker knows this game well. The work is physically hard, life is shorter, and yet the retirement age keeps rising - as if the lifespan of a miner or construction worker were the same as that of someone behind a desk. Whether the state really is considering leaving people to work until 72, or just testing how much the public will endure - that remains to be seen. But one thing is clear: a subject once opened is hard to close.