Both Die Linke and The Greens have welcomed the proposal by the German Trade Union Confederation (DGB) to introduce a mandatory company pension scheme.
Ines Schwerdtner, leader of Die Linke, expressed strong support for the DGB’s push for compulsory workplace retirement savings. She emphasized that the employers’ side must be included on an equal footing in this process. Looking ahead to a meeting between the government and social partners scheduled for Wednesday at the Chancellor’s Office, Schwerdtner stated that Die Linke supports the DGB in challenging employers and those officials within the government who represent their interests.
The Green parliamentary group also endorsed the proposal, which is reportedly gaining support from SPD leader Lars Klingbeil. Armin Grau, the Greens’ spokesperson for labor policy, informed T-Online that the party has long advocated for an obligatory pension offering provided by employers. He suggested that collective bargaining agreements would be the most effective route for implementation, while stressing that employees must remain free to accept or decline the offer.
Grau further insisted that the standard, public-sector retirement product-which is currently being introduced into private pension schemes-must also be opened up for use in company pensions. This, he argued, would provide affordable, non-bureaucratic, and high-yield options, particularly beneficial for small and medium-sized enterprises.
