Overview

• CDU General Secretary Carsten Linnemann said retirees work too little, prompting the party to back an Aktivrente that exempts up to €2,000 of pensioners’ earnings from income tax.
• Chancellor’s office chief Thorsten Frei defended the plan and proposed making overtime pay tax-free to boost labor participation amid concerns over declining work hours.
• Former Greens leader Ricarda Lang rejected Frei’s claim that full-time contracts guarantee a living wage, citing 830,000 “Aufstocker” who still rely on social top-ups.
• Lang labeled reliance on CO₂ pricing as socially unjust and publicly wagered that planned 2027 increases will be postponed under government pressure.
• Germany logged 683 million hours of unpaid overtime last year, underscoring critics’ calls for higher wages, more childcare and support for caregivers before extending working lives.