The Christian Social Union (CSU), a key partner in Germany’s governing coalition, has rejected a proposal from Federal Economics Minister Katharina Reiche (CDU) to extend the standard working life. Alexander Hoffmann, leader of the CSU parliamentary group, articulated the party’s stance, emphasizing a preference for voluntary arrangements.
“We are relying on voluntary participation” Hoffmann stated in an interview. “For us, this is a much more effective instrument because, as the CSU, we also have people in mind who have worked all their lives.
The CSU also expressed firm opposition to raising the retirement age to 70, citing disparities in the physical demands of different professions. Hoffmann highlighted the distinction between allowing a desk-bound engineer to continue working and expecting someone who has performed physically strenuous labor on a construction site to do so until a later age.
Instead, the CSU is advocating for the “active retirement” model, as laid out in the coalition agreement. This system allows individuals who wish to continue working beyond the standard retirement age to do so on a voluntary basis.
“There are many people in the country who say, ‘I want to continue working,'” Hoffmann explained. “It’s fun and you benefit financially from it – that’s why I think it’s a much better approach”. The party believes such a voluntary system offers a flexible and equitable solution to address demographic changes and individual preferences.