Oliver Ruhnert, Secretary General of the BSW, sharply denounced the current proposals to raise the statutory retirement age and called for a fundamental overhaul of Germany’s pension system.
In an interview with the “Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung” he described the discussions about a potential retirement age of 70 as unacceptable: “The fact that the pension commission is now debating a retirement age of 70 is a scandal. We are strictly against another raise of the retirement age, which in truth would mean a hard cut in pensions for millions of citizens”.
Ruhnert specifically criticized the Social Democrats, accusing them of anticipating that the SPD would also bend on the issue.
As an alternative, he pointed to Austria’s pension system, which he sees as a possible model for Germany. “There, people retire at 65 and receive on average 800 € more per month than here” he said. He attributes the Austrian success to a broad contributor base that includes self‑employed workers and civil servants. “The German pension commission should therefore finally bring everyone into a solidarity system”. In Austria, all citizens already pay into the pension scheme-including civil servants, ministers, and members of parliament.
Earlier reports had indicated that the federal government’s pension commission had debated a retirement age of 70. The working group’s objective is to draft a sustainable pension reform.