Instead of retiring at 70: Faeser proposes earlier retirement – under one condition
Created: 08/17/2022, 04:55
By: Patricia Huber
Retire earlier – that is the wish of many Germans.
According to a proposal by Interior Minister Nancy Faeser, this should become a reality for volunteers.
Berlin – Economists, politicians, employers and trade unions are currently arguing about the retirement age.
Only recently, a suggestion by the head of the overall metal industry, Stefan Wolf, caused a great stir.
He advocated raising the retirement age to 70.
But there was a lot of opposition to his proposal.
Trade unions and social organizations in particular are opposed to raising the retirement age and point out that people in some professions – for example if they involve heavy physical work – would not even last until 65.
Quite a few people would also like to retire even earlier.
Faeser's pension idea: earlier entry thanks to volunteer work
Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (SPD) has now contributed to the debate with a new idea.
In a series of talks by the
editorial network Germany (RND)
, she made a specific suggestion that many people could use to retire earlier.
Faeser's idea: People who have done voluntary work for many years are allowed to retire a year earlier.
"You have to think about how you can do something good for those who have done it all their lives," she explained.
In this way, the state can also create incentives for volunteering.
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Earlier retirement should motivate volunteering
Volunteering for the general public, which many people do in addition to their work and family, is a very valuable asset.
For particularly valuable activities, such as in the fire brigade or rescue services, such models must be considered in order to create incentives, Faeser continued.
Due to increasing natural disasters such as floods, forest fires or severe storms, the need for volunteers is growing.
Therefore, a compulsory year of service must also be debated, she demanded.
"We are very privileged with our volunteer system," said Faeser.
This works very well with the volunteer fire brigades.
"But you can't give them sole responsibility for all these major damage events."
(ph / dpa)
