Union Leader Thorsten Frei Defends Abolition of Early Retirement Amid CDU Internal Conflict

Unions parliamentary group leader Thorsten Frei has defended the proposed abolition of the pension at 63, which allows for early retirement without deductions after 45 years of contributions. Speaking to the Bild newspaper, Frei described the recommendation from the pension commission as a clever and correct proposal. He argued that the move is just in terms of generational equity, stating that it is not acceptable to favor a small group of people at the expense of the younger generation. Frei emphasized that the coalition had agreed to implement the commission's recommendations as a comprehensive package.

This position has caused friction within the CDU. The three CDU state premiers from eastern Germany, Michael Kretschmer of Saxony, Sven Schulze of Saxony Anhalt, and Mario Voigt of Thuringia, have openly opposed the recommendation. In a letter to the federal government, they argued that those who have paid in for 45 years have contributed enough and should retain the right to early retirement. They specifically noted that the abolition would hit people in eastern Germany particularly hard, as many rely solely on the statutory pension in old age. Support for Frei's position was voiced by CDU General Secretary Franziska Hoppermann, who warned that picking apart individual points of the reform could jeopardize the entire compromise.

Other political actors have weighed in on the debate. The Left Party has urged the government to maintain the early retirement option as a matter of respect for lifelong achievement, though the party also suggested that some eastern CDU and SPD politicians might be campaigning for electoral gain. Conversely, the CSU supports the abolition of the benefit. While the CDU and SPD leadership, including Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Labor Minister Bärbel Bas, previously indicated they intended to implement all commission recommendations, SPD General Secretary Tim Klüssendorf has called for the CDU to clarify its position, asserting that those with long work histories should be able to retire early without deductions.