SPD and trade unions strongly denounce CDU's pension proposals

The Christian Democratic Union (CDU) has found itself in the midst of a heated debate over its recently adopted pension concept. Critics from various parties and trade unions have accused the CDU of evading the crucial question of what the statutory pension should promise and avoiding the issue of reversing expensive false promises made in previous pension laws.

The CDU's pension concept has been called into question for its approach to the statutory pension's promise. Katja Mast, SPD parliamentary vice-president, has criticized the concept as a "cosmetic change" in the pension debate, while Katja Mast, speaking to RedaktionsnetzWerk Deutschland, believes the CDU is dodging the question of what the statutory pension should promise.

The proposed individualized retirement age, a key feature of the CDU's pension concept, has been particularly criticized. Reiner Hoffmann, DGB chairman, has stated that this feature is intended to conceal the CDU's plan to increase the retirement age through the back door. Trade unions, including the DGB, have criticized the CDU's pension concept as an "employer relief paper" and a "gift to the insurance industry."

Johannes Vogel, FDP pension expert, has praised some aspects of the CDU's pension concept but criticized its inconsistency with the government's actions of the last few years. He emphasized that the CDU must address the leaks it has created with every pension law of the last few years.

The CDU's federal working group on social security and labor market has passed a resolution on pension policy, calling for the abolition of a uniform retirement age and the establishment of a capital fund within the statutory pension. However, the search results do not provide specific names of CDU experts who made the pension-related decision. CDU politicians mentioned in the debate on pension reform and retirement age include Michael Reddig, Katherina Reiche (an economic adviser), Gitta Connemann, and Stefan Nacke, but none are explicitly named as decision-makers on the pension ruling itself.

The CDU's pension concept is facing criticism from all corners, and it remains to be seen how the party will address these concerns moving forward. The debate is far from over, and the CDU will likely face continued scrutiny as the details of their pension concept are examined more closely.