Comment: The blind spot in the debate about “retirement at 63”

It is still unclear whether SPD politician Alexander Schweitzer also wants to save the so-called “pension at 63” as the new Federal Labor Minister. As an opposition politician in the state parliament of Rhineland-Palatinate, he opposed the abolition of the pension without deductions after 45 years of contributions. The Union at the federal level, on the other hand, is determined to abolish this without replacement, in line with the Pension Commission's proposal.

For a long time the fronts seemed hardened; several important voices in the SPD spoke out in favor of preserving this pension. Now a compromise is being considered in the Union: receipt of the pension after 45 years of contributions - but with significantly stricter rules for the credit periods. In any case, parliamentary group leader Thorsten Frei recently explicitly pointed out to “Caren Miosga” that 45 years of contributions could “in case of doubt only be 38 years of work”.

The CDU politician's claim is correct: In order to get the full 45 years, you don't have to work 45 years. Periods of receiving unemployment benefit I, mini-jobs with pension contributions, phases of receiving sick pay, and civilian and military service are also counted. And many years often come together through the crediting of child-rearing periods, which are taken into account up to each child's tenth birthday.