Care needs real solutions and reasonable working conditions

“Anyone who believes that the heavy work pension for nurses is a viable path of relief ignores the reality of this professional group,” says Ralph Schallmeiner, care spokesman for the Greens. It is clear that care is difficult work. However, the debate about the admission of nursing professions in the heavy worker regulation, which the new government presented yesterday, falls short and distracts from the actual problem.

The central problem: The prerequisite of 45 years of insurance is simply not accessible for many – especially for women. Currently only 25 percent of all pensioners meet: Inside this condition, for women the proportion is even lean 4 percent. Little will change in the future, because the heavy work pension can be started at the earliest at the earliest – at a time when many nursing staff can no longer practice the profession due to physical and psychological stress.

“What really needs are targeted relief measures that are already taking place during professional life. In the last legislative period under Minister Rauch, we have achieved a move with the relief week from 43. Air locks, ”explains Schallmeiner.

The proposal to count on internships in training as insurance times also brings little relief: the earliest possible start to practical training on the bed is possible at the age of 17 – so that only 43 years until the age of 60 remain. Even if 50 percent of the training period were taken into account, nursing staff reach the 45 years of insurance at the best at the age of 63.5 years – provided there are no interruptions in the course of employment. Would benefit from the new regulation at most career changers: inside who learned an apprenticeship at the beginning of their professional career.

“It is almost paradoxical that many employees in the nursing and social area cannot do the profession up to 60 and instead have to switch to disability or occupational disability instead,” said Schallmeiner. “This realization shows that it is important to start much earlier. The clear goal must be to create reasonable working conditions in order to be able to retain people in a healthy manner or to adapt the heavy worker regulation so that all nursing staff can benefit from it.”