Pension only from 70: Mahrer provokes with demand
This debate was reignited a few weeks ago by the President of the Federation of Austrian Industries, Georg Knill, who received a lot of criticism for it. He called for an increase in the retirement age to 70. When asked about it, Mahrer said on Saturday on oe24: "That is certainly one way to approach the problem in the long term".
Mahrer wants to discuss higher retirement age
With an aging population, one should not "forbid" a debate on raising the statutory retirement age. At the same time, however, there needs to be a debate about "what do we do with people who are currently retiring earlier". The package provided for in the government program is a good one, "it just needs to be tackled quickly". In difficult times, one can "rethink everything", said Mahrer, including the many public holidays in spring.
Demand causes criticism from FPÖ and SPÖ
The FPÖ saw the Chamber of Commerce President as the next "envoy" sent by the ÖVP to advocate for raising the statutory retirement age - after former Governor Wilfried Haslauer, AMS head Johannes Kopf, and Knill. The demand is a "blatant disrespect towards older workers", said social spokesperson Dagmar Belakowitsch in a statement. Instead, measures are needed to keep long-term unemployed and older workers in employment or bring them back into it.
Freedom Party General Secretary Michael Schnedlitz also identified an "unprecedented affront to all those who have built our country with their hands' work". The role of the SPÖ is also more than shameful: "Apparently, it took the so-called former workers' party to even enable this discussion. Anyone who now takes the path of burden regarding the retirement age has lost any claim to represent the interests of the working population."
SPÖ Federal Managing Director Klaus Seltenheim responded promptly. He reminded that "it was the FPÖ that agreed to increase health insurance contributions for pensions in government negotiations with the ÖVP and reported it to Brussels as a binding measure with Kickl's signature." The Social Democrats corrected the original FPÖ plans and ensured compensations. He ruled out an increase in the statutory retirement age, instead focusing on healthy and age-appropriate workplaces, for example, through partial retirement, people can stay in the workforce longer. He recommended Mahrer "to look at the government program again". There is no need for "philosophical debates about raising the statutory retirement age, but concrete measures so that older workers can actually work longer."
(APA/Red)
This article has been automatically translated, read the original article here.