(Pensions; 10-03; p.5)

The untouched

Beside entrepreneurs and employees with high incomes there are two groups of persons that are untouched by the changes: civil servants and MPs as well as members of government.

Civil servants cannot be seen as a homogeneous group in respect to their salaries or their pensions: there is quite a span between the four salary classes. All the same, differences between salaries during work-life are perpetuated in the time as pensioner.
– If MPs are willing to initiate changes for civil servants, remains to be seen, especially in respect to the fact that they comprise the biggest occupational group in parliament.

For MPs themselves and members of government, there are special laws stipulating their pensions: for the former the "Abgeordnetengesetz", for the latter the "Bundesministergesetz".

According to the law’s August 2002 version, Ministers and chancellor have to be at least two years either minister or parliamentary secretary to be allowed a pension for that – the latter being a politician, serving as a kind of whip in the ministries.
The payments depend on their time in office, times as minister or as minister-president in a federal state government are counted in as well.

If ministers have been
•at least two years in office, they will get about 15 per cent of the relevant salary group (B 11) from sixty onwards, i.e. about 1600 Euro;
•at least three years in office, they will get about 19 per cent of B 11 from fifty-five years onwards, i.e. about 2000 Euro;
•at least four years in office, they will get about 28 per cent of B 11 from fifty-five onwards, i.e. about 2900 Euro.

Every further year as minister adds about 2,4 per cent of B 11 up to a limit of 71,75 % of B 11, which is the equivalent of 18 years in office.
(read on here)