45 Min - Die Armuts-Rentner

Documentary about life on a meager pension. NDR writes: Federal Labor Minister Ursula von der Leyen has brought the issue of poverty among the elderly in Germany back onto the political agenda with her proposal for a supplementary pension for future low-income earners. That many older people can barely live on their pensions even today is shown by NDR television on September 17th at 10:00 PM in its documentary series "45min - The Poverty Pensioners." For this very moving film, documentary filmmaker and video journalist Nikolas Müller followed three pensioners from Northern Germany in their daily lives. "I've worked my whole life," says Ferdinand Mennecke, "but my pension isn't enough, because half of it goes toward expenses. There's not much left to treat myself to anything." That's why the 84-year-old delivers newspapers six days a week – at night. Ferdinand Mennecke worked for more than 40 years before his retirement, often in low-wage jobs. That's why his pension is only 650 euros. Mennecke is one of more than 760,000 people in Germany who are still working after the age of 65. Of these, 120,000 are pensioners over 75. Many older people take advantage of the opportunity to remain active voluntarily through a mini-job. But most pensioners don't work longer because they want to, but because they have to. Federal Labor Minister von der Leyen has warned that in less than 20 years, employees earning less than 2,500 euros gross per month will have to manage on a pension of only 688 euros. Many would then be dependent on state support. Werner Kofalck wouldn't go to the social welfare office. He's too proud for that. He's 85 and he, too, has worked his entire life. Nevertheless, his pension is only 760 euros. That's why he works up to 50 hours a week as a taxi driver in Hamburg. He says he has no other choice: "At my age, there's nothing else available. I used to have completely different jobs, but I couldn't work in any of them now. Who even employs people my age?" The portraits of the three protagonists show that the terrifying scenario of poverty in old age, as outlined by the minister, is already a bitter reality for many people. Even those who have paid into the pension system for decades can still end up poor in old age.