Members of the Christian Social Union (CSU) parliamentary group have rejected a proposal from Federal Minister for Economic Affairs, Katherina Reiche (CDU), to extend the working life of citizens. Alexander Hoffmann, leader of the CSU parliamentary group, stated in an interview that the party favors a voluntary approach. “We believe that voluntary participation is a far more effective instrument, because the CSU also considers the people who have worked their entire lives” he said.
Hoffmann also dismissed the idea of raising the retirement age to 70, emphasizing the varying physical demands of different professions. “There’s a difference between providing an engineer who primarily worked in an office the opportunity to continue working voluntarily and someone who has done physically demanding labor on a construction site until shortly before retirement” he explained.
The CSU, according to Hoffmann, supports the “active retirement” model outlined in the coalition agreement – a voluntary system for those wishing to work beyond the standard retirement age. “There are many people in the country who say, ‘I enjoy working and would like to continue doing so'” he noted. “It’s enjoyable and financially beneficial and that’s why I believe it’s a much better path forward”.
