As of: March 12, 2024, 8:30 p.m
By: Lars-Eric Nievelstein
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In order to fill the pension funds, the traffic light is considering integrating civil servants into the pension system in the future.
There was immediate criticism from the police.
What's behind it?
Berlin – German pensions are facing a breaking point.
The population is aging and the number of pension recipients is increasing.
At the same time, the labor market is emptying;
So there are fewer contributors who can support the system.
The traffic light coalition plans to counteract this development with the pension package II.
However, Federal Labor Minister Hubertus Heil (SPD) had recently expressed other plans - which now led to an explosive reaction.
Hubertus Heil wants to bring civil servants into the statutory pension insurance
Just a few weeks ago, Federal Labor Minister Hubertus Heil (SPD) brought up the “expansion” of statutory pension insurance.
It should include other population groups, especially civil servants.
It was important to the SPD politician that “the pension level does not collapse”.
The measure was specifically intended to avert pension cuts.
Hubertus Heil (SPD) presenting pension package II. In order to fill the pension coffers, the traffic light is considering integrating civil servants into the pension system in the future.
There was immediate criticism from the police.
What's behind it?
© IMAGO / Jürgen Heinrich
“In Germany we will also discuss how we can include other groups in the protection of the statutory pension insurance in the long term,” Heil told the television channels
RTL
and
NTV
.
The minister also spoke out against increasing the retirement age.
Police union criticizes Heil's new pension plans
Now the police union (GdP) had intervened in the debate - and expressed clear criticism of Heil's ideas.
“The federal government is very well advised to strengthen pensions in Germany and at the same time preserve the pensions of us law enforcement officers,” said GdP federal chairman Jochen Kopelke to the
editorial network Germany (RND)
.
It is currently the case that civil servants receive state-financed pensions, while pension recipients receive their pensions from the income of the pension insurance - with state subsidies.
The Left, the Greens, the AfD and social associations have been calling for civil servants and the self-employed to be included in pension insurance for some time.
This is already practice in other European countries, for example in Austria.
Heil was open to including other groups in “the protection of statutory pension insurance”.
This would eliminate state-paid pensions.
“The people in the security authorities stand up for the safety of all people in the Federal Republic at all times of the day and night,” explained Kopelke.
“These people deserve appropriate pensions and shortened working lives.” Whether they are civil servants or employed, police officers should be able to retire without any deductions – and also earlier than other employees.
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What happens if civil servants lose their pension?
However, there are some risks associated with integrating civil servants into the “normal” pension system.
According to Reinhold Thiede, head of the research and development department of the German pension insurance, the Federal Republic will initially face massive costs.
“The pensions are on average higher than the pensions,” he told Ippen.Media.
If all civil servants received their pensions from the same pot, that would ultimately mean a greater burden than relief.
Using Austria as an example, the expert explained that a transitional system could actually provide relief - even if only a slight one.
This could work via a deadline from which all new civil servants will be included in social security, while all other civil servants will simply remain in the old system.
“However, in the long term this will also create new pension claims for civil servants, which will have to be fulfilled in the future,” warned Thiede.
Based on the higher life expectancy of civil servants, he also suspects “not a good deal” for pension insurance here.
In the long term, this will not result in better financial stability for the German pension insurance system.
Pension package II is currently in the starting blocks.
There have also been discussions about the retirement age for years - and a pension increase is scheduled to take place in March.