Citizen's income increase: outrage at Heil's plans
There are probably only a very small number of people who continually refuse to work and would therefore be affected by the removal of the citizen's allowance. Nevertheless, Hubertus Heil's plans are attracting a great deal of attention. And there is clear criticism - including from the SPD.
Federal Minister of Labor Hubertus Heil's reform plans for the citizen's allowance for job refusers are controversial in political Berlin. While Finance Minister Christian Lindner and politicians from the SPD and CDU/CSU welcomed the initiative, social organizations, the Young Socialists and the Left warned of severe social consequences.
SPD politician Heil has proposed that the federal government tighten sanctions for recipients of citizen's allowance who repeatedly refuse reasonable offers of work. The state should temporarily only pay them the costs of accommodation and heating in order to prevent homelessness. The standard citizen's allowance rate - 563 euros per month for single people - is to be abolished for two months.
The SPD had different reactions. Martin Rosemann, social policy spokesperson for the SPD parliamentary group in the Bundestag, emphasized that we are talking about a very small number of people who consistently refuse all offers. "And it is precisely at this point that it is justifiable to tighten the sanctions. In the end, this is also a question of justice," he said.
Criticism from the Jusos
The Jusos, on the other hand, accused Heil of starving people as a sanction. "The proposal to cut all benefits apart from rent is neither compatible with human dignity nor with the basic idea of the citizen's income," Juso leader Philip Türmer told the "Tagesspiegel".
The Left Party also criticized Heil. The "traffic light" government is restructuring the budget on the backs of people with little money, kicking people down the road and playing people off against each other, said party leader Martin Schirdewan. And all because it is not prepared to place a greater burden on the rich and wealthy. Ulrich Schneider from the Paritätischer Gesamtverband warned on ARD that the federal government was driving people into misery.
Agreement from Lindner
Heil's plans have not yet been finalized in the cabinet. However, Finance Minister Lindner has already signaled his approval. "The Minister of Labor is thus not only implementing his contribution to the 2024 budget concept. Above all, acceptance of the welfare state will be strengthened if benefits are also demanded in return," he said.
Further thought needs to be given in this direction in the coming year, said Lindner. "The system of our social benefits must be reviewed to ensure that work is always more worthwhile than not having a job."
Heil also received support from the CDU/CSU. "The citizens' income is the social safety net in our country, but solidarity must not be a one-way street," said Marc Biadacz, member of the Bundestag.
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- Despite the small number of individuals who chronically refuse employment, the proposed tightening of sanctions for unemployed individuals receiving citizen's allowance by Federal Minister of Labor Hubertus Heil has sparked significant controversy, with critics including the SPD.
- The Jusos, the youth wing of the SPD, voiced strong opposition to Heil's proposed sanctions, labeling them as inhumane and incompatible with the fundamental concept of citizen's income.
- In contrast, Christian Lindner, the Finance Minister, expressed support for Heil's reform plans, asserting that they would strengthen the acceptance of the welfare state by requiring benefit recipients to contribute in return.
Source: www.ntv.de
