Dennis Radtke, who heads the employee wing of the CDU, has harshly criticized the direction set by CSU chairman Markus Söder regarding the ongoing reform debate. Radtke told newspapers from the Funke Media Group that it is crucial for the federal government to maintain a consistent course. He noted that signs of withdrawal are already appearing concerning pension reforms.
Radtke found it “maximally irritating” that while the Chancellor and the Minister of Labour publicly stated their intention to implement the pension commission’s proposals exactly as they were drafted, Söder is publicly declaring refusal on all platforms to implement reforms to minimum jobs-despite such changes being integral to the overall package. When asked whether Söder was torpedoing the coalition, Radtke responded that “Markus Söder does things his own way. Ultimately, the CSU must sort this out internally.”
Adding to his critique, Radtke labeled recent decisions regarding family policy-specifically concerning maternal pensions, parental allowance, and maintenance allowance-as “absurd.” He highlighted how the policy structure undermines those most in need. For instance, he pointed out that money is being deducted from mothers who are directly responsible for their children under the parental allowance and maintenance subsidy, ostensibly to fill a gap for mothers whose children have grown up, a group for whom no one outside of Markus Söder has appealed. Radtke emphasized that genuinely needy people will not benefit from this setup because the subsidies are offset against basic old-age security. “That is not social; it is absurd,” he concluded.
