Labor Minister Bas rejects Reiche’s proposal to raise retirement age

Federal Minister of Labor Bärbel Bas (SPD) has rejected the controversial call by Federal Minister of Economics Katherina Reiche (CDU) for increased retirement age and denounced it as a pointless debate. She does not see the SPD agreeing to the proposal, Bas, who is also SPD parliamentary group leader, told the Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland (Saturday).

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“Many people are already unable to reach the current retirement age for health reasons. For these people, this would mean a reduction in their pensions,” said Bas. “So we must first ensure that people can work longer in good health,” the minister added. According to her, the option of early retirement for long-term insured persons must not be abolished either.

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“Anyone who has worked hard for 45 years must be allowed to retire,” said Bas. “Anyone who talks about increasing working life and abolishing pensions for long-term insured persons at the same time has no idea about the reality of life for many people and is scaring them,” said Bas, referring to the economics minister's proposal.

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Reiche told the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung last week that the retirement age must be extended. Demographic change and rising life expectancy made this “inevitable.” It cannot “work in the long term that we only work for two-thirds of our adult lives and spend one-third in retirement.” The reforms outlined in the coalition agreement will not be enough in the long term, Reiche added.

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The proposal had already been met with fierce criticism from the SPD. Vice Chancellor Lars Klingbeil (SPD) told broadcasters RTL and ntv: “It's easy to say something like that when you're sitting in your comfortable chair in Berlin. But you should go out and talk to the people in the country who are working as roofers, who are working as nurses, who are working as teachers and who are really working themselves to the bone,” Klingbeil emphasized.

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The Greens and the Left Party also sharply criticized Reiche's proposal. FDP leader Christian Dürr, on the other hand, backed Reiche and at the same time reiterated his call for a share-based pension.

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