Heil wants to completely cut citizens' benefits for two months for job refusers
"It is unacceptable for a small minority to bring the entire system into disrepute," Heil told the newspaper. He emphasized that the "overwhelming majority" of benefit recipients were cooperating constructively. "However, those who do not cooperate and refuse all offers must expect harsher consequences," said the minister. "We will therefore tighten up the sanctions against total refusers."
Currently, job centers are only allowed to impose sanctions up to a maximum of 30 percent. This limit is a consequence of the ruling by the Federal Constitutional Court in 2019, which declared the sanctions in place at the time to be unconstitutional.
According to the report, the Ministry of Labor nevertheless considers the 100 percent sanction for total refusers to be constitutional. According to the newspaper, the ministry argues within the government with a special regulation according to which a complete deletion is permissible if a benefit recipient deliberately refuses to accept a specific offer of reasonable work without good reason. This regulation is now being used.
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- Heil argued that the ongoing refusal of certain individuals to accept job offers is bringing the entire system into disrepute, affecting the "overwhelming majority" of cooperative benefit recipients.
- The SPD minister indicated that harsher consequences, such as enhanced sanctions, would be imposed on job-refusers who persistently refuse all offers of employment.
- The Federal Government, according to Heil, will tighten the sanctions against total refusers, moving beyond the current 30% cap imposed by the Federal Constitutional Court in 2019.
- Heil stressed that the 100% sanction for job-refusers, who deliberately refuse a specific offer of reasonable work without justifiable reasons, is considered constitutional by the Ministry of Labor.
- The SPD minister expressed his desire to completely cut citizens' benefits for two months for those who persistently refuse job offers, in line with the special regulation being used within the government.
- The tightened sanctions, which could potentially involve the deletion of benefits, are being pushed for by Heil to encourage job-refusers to start seeking employment actively.
- This policy shift, aiming to impose stiffer consequences on job-refusers, has been a topic of discussion within the German government and may be implemented in the near future.
Source: www.stern.de
