Anke Rehlinger, the Vice-Chairwoman of the Social Democrats (SPD) and Minister-President of Saarland, has strongly opposed the proposed plans to abolish discount-free retirement schemes. Speaking to the “Funke” media group, she stated that she rejects the current proposal because it disregards the professional achievements of workers. She emphasized that anyone who worked for decades deserves respect and a decent pension.
The proposed pension reform commission suggested eliminating the discount-free retirement for individuals with particularly long insurance periods. This recommendation has drawn opposition from regional leaders in East Germany from both the CDU and SPD, and now has strong support from Rehlinger in a Western German federal state.
Rehlinger added that people should not have to wait until their bodies “strike” before they can retire. While insisting that the pension package does not need to be entirely scrapped, she argued that the Bundestag must make changes at crucial points.
In the ongoing debate about the commission’s recommendations, the Social Democrat leader proposed a compromise. She addressed the CSU Chairman and Minister-President of Bavaria, Markus Söder, stating that she would support his clear opposition to the minimum job scheme (Minijob-Regelung). In return, she argued that the government should achieve a pension system that is equitable for those with long service-one that focuses more on years of contribution rather than merely on age.
The SPD top candidate in Berlin, Steffen Krach, is also calling on the federal government to abandon the plan to abolish the “Rente mit 63.” Krach told the “Tagesspiegel”: “We must keep the fee-free pension after 45 years of working. Anything else is unjust.”
This opposition is not new; earlier in the week, officials from other parties, including Michael Kretschmer (Saxony), Sven Schulze (Saxony-Anhalt), and Mario Voigt (Thuringia)-all CDU members-had already rejected the pension commission’s advice. Furthermore, the two SPD regional leaders, Dietmar Woidke (Brandenburg) and Manuela Schwesig (Mecklenburg-Vorpommern), had previously expressed their criticism of the plan. The term “Rente mit 63,” though widely used, is slightly outdated; presently, early retirement without penalties is possible at 64.5 years with sufficient insurance time.
The resistance to the reform faces a contrasting viewpoint from Daniel Günther, the CDU Minister-President of Schleswig-Holstein. Günther told the “Welt” that instead of further tightening the pension package, the focus should be on swiftly implementing the current agreements. He argued that the country has already allowed too many people to move into retirement, making the current pension system unsustainable. Günther conceded that the package involves painful cuts, but stressed that both the CDU and SPD have a responsibility to the next generations. He concluded that the system is “not sustainable in its current state” and that it is absolutely necessary to implement the existing plan without further debate.
Despite the demographic challenges, the number of employees subject to mandatory insurance has increased by almost 10 million over the last 20 years, a trend partly attributed to the growth of foreign workers.
