The logic of the politicians

I had a long talk today with several Business English students who are quite concerned about the recent rise of the retirement age to 67. They said that the reality in Germany is that most people are asked to leave their jobs around the age of 60. They receive early retirement offers. This puts them in the situation where if they have to then apply to receive their pensions they do not receive the 100% they are entitled to. People's pensions in Germany come from the federal government, similar to the US's Social Security Program.

As one student said: "This is the logic of the politicians." They do what they can to basically screw the general population from their full pensions. The government saves money, lessening the amount required in the federal budget that goes towards paying pensions. Of course, the politicians themselves and the CEOs are not affected by this law. CEOs in Germany always retire by the time they are 60. In fact, it was recently big news when one CEO stayed in his job after his 60th birthday even though he said that he would remain in the position just for 8 months or so.