Reul appeals for understanding for retirement from 62 in the fire department
In view of the protests of the professional fire department, NRW Interior Minister Herbert Reul (CDU) has appealed for understanding for his plans to raise the retirement age for full-time firefighters. Reul justified the planned increase from 60 to up to 62 years of age on Thursday with the foreseeable shortage of specialists and personnel. He emphasized in a debate in the state parliament that the planned increase in the age limit was only a proposal so far and was now being heard by the associations. Only then will there be a draft law, and the final decision will be made by the state parliament anyway. "So we are nowhere near the end of the process," said Reul.
Firefighters ended a 24-hour vigil in front of the state parliament on Thursday afternoon to protest against Reul's plans. The opposition from the SPD and FDP demanded that the current age limit of 60 be left untouched
He is only planning a "moderate" increase, said Reul. "Sometimes you get the impression that this would be the downfall of the entire profession." By comparison, there are 88,000 volunteer firefighters in NRW. "They do it alongside their job," said Reul. Around 10,000 firefighters are employed as professional firefighters, with a further 5,000 working for company fire departments. The debate is only about full-time firefighters. For the vast majority of them - the middle ranks - the retirement limit should only be raised by one year. Incidentally, the police also have an age limit of 62. "And ask people who work in construction or who retire at 67 what they think of this debate."
The trade unions of the fire department have expressed their concerns over Reul's proposal, joining the demonstrations against the proposed increase in retirement age. The Parliamentary Committee on Internal Affairs has scheduled discussions with various associations, including Parliamentary groups and trade unions, to gather feedback on this issue.
Source: www.dpa.com
