The SPD rejects the Union's accusations of blocking pension reform

The SPD has countered criticism from the Union that it is delaying agreed reform projects. “To be honest, allegations of blockades, public demands or ultimatums don’t get us anywhere – they actually make the search for common solutions more tedious,” said Dirk Wiese, Parliamentary Managing Director of the SPD parliamentary group, on Sunday to the “Süddeutsche Zeitung”. “What helps us move forward is looking at what connects us and what we want to achieve together.”

Federal Economics Minister Katherina Reiche (CDU) had previously called on Labor Minister and SPD co-leader Bärbel Bas to present the draft law on the planned pension reform as soon as possible. “The Federal Chancellor is absolutely right that this package must be approved by the end of the year,” Reiche told “Bild am Sonntag”.

Bas knew about this expectation, said Reiche. "She not only supported the coalition decision before the summer. She actively negotiated it. She also appreciated the result of the pension commission."

With a view to the resistance among the SPD leadership against the abolition of the pension at 63, Reiche emphasized that she trusts that we will “implement what we have decided in the cabinet and, above all, what the coalition has put on the table in long, long negotiations.”

The economics minister warned Bas and the SPD against weakening the commission's pension recommendations: "We are discussing whether there may be hardship cases. But I cannot agree with a softening and fundamentally removing building blocks and putting them up for discussion."

Union parliamentary group vice-president Johannes Winkel (CDU) also called for the pension commission's reform plan to be implemented. We now need “a draft from the Ministry of Labor quickly that implements the commission’s recommendations,” Winkel told the “Tagesspiegel” on Sunday. He pointed out that the reform was “united at four political levels” – “from the Commission to the government to the parliamentary group boards”.

SPD politician Wiese tried to smooth things over. “It is not surprising that there are still very different needs for changes and coordination on various topics,” he said and added: “That is completely normal given the important decisions we are currently making.”

However, it would be harmful if the democratic center were to focus on itself. “Democracy without compromise with democratic forces only benefits the opponents of democracy,” warned Wiese.