German Minister of Labor Hubertus Heil, a member of the Social Democratic Party (SPD), has spoken out against an inflation adjustment for pensioners in the form of a one-time payment. He can understand the demand, as pensioners also suffered from inflation, Heil told the “Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland”. “But I can only warn against deviating from the principle that pensions follow wages” he added. According to the minister, pensioners would benefit more sustainably and in the long run from continuous rent increases than from a one-time payment.
Heil also defended the SPD’s plans to secure the pension level in the long term. “If we don’t stabilize the pension, the pension level will decline in the coming years” he warned. “A 50-year-old nurse today would have 1,100 euros less in annual pension. I want to avoid this pension gap for all those still working.