A prominent social welfare organization has publicly challenged a recent proposal from the German government regarding pension reform. Verena Bentele, president of the VdK (Social Association), sharply criticized Economics Minister Katarina Reiche’s call for extending working lives and delaying retirement ages.
Bentele, in statements released to the Funke-Mediengruppe newspapers, deemed the repeated suggestion of increased working durations “lacking in creativity and unsustainable for the future”. She argued for more substantive reforms rather than what she characterized as “political rhetoric.
Instead of further extending working lives, Bentele proposed a broadening of the mandatory pension insurance system to include all working individuals, specifically noting politicians and civil servants. She presented this as a tangible demonstration of solidarity.
The VdK president emphasized that concrete steps, such as expanding pension coverage, would strengthen the system, while vague proposals risk increasing public disillusionment and potentially benefiting extremist political groups.
Minister Reiche’s weekend statement, suggesting that longer working lives are “unavoidable” for German employees, has thus sparked a significant debate about the direction of pension reform in the country.