End of Hartz IV: Baerbock expects conflicts with the citizens’ money

End of Hartz IV
Baerbock expects conflicts with the citizen’s money

An end to Hartz VI – the planned traffic light alliance can agree on this requirement in the explorations. So far, however, the design has remained vague. Green leader Baerbock is preparing for difficult discussions about the aid payments before the coalition talks begin.

Green leader Annalena Baerbock expects the coalition negotiations that begin today with conflicts over the planned citizens’ money. “We want to change more than just the name of the basic security,” said Baerbock of the Funke media group.

In the case of citizens’ money, it must be ensured “that it is clearly worthwhile for people to take up a job, even if it is only a small position,” said Baerbock. At the same time, the standard rates should allow a life in dignity and participation in society. The SPD, the Greens and the FDP have “so far defined this in guidelines, but we will still have to wrestle in the coalition negotiations.”

In their explorations, the three parties agreed to introduce a citizen’s benefit instead of the previous basic security (Hartz IV). This should “respect the dignity of the individual, enable them to participate in society and be digitally and easily accessible,” says the exploratory paper of the SPD, Greens and FDP. In addition, it should “focus on helping people return to the labor market”.

DGB demands further training money

The CDU Economic Council and the German Federation of Trade Unions each expressed very different doubts. DGB boss Reiner Hoffmann called on the three parties to use the opportunity “for a fundamental redesign of the Hartz IV system”. “Hartz IV must be overcome and not just renamed,” he told the Funke newspapers. In order to effectively prevent poverty, the standard rates would have to be recalculated: “The DGB rejects cuts in the subsistence level,” said Hoffmann. Instead of the “niggling experience today”, integration goals should be mutually agreed, further training offers improved and further training allowances introduced.

In contrast, the Secretary General of the CDU Economic Council, Wolfgang Steiger, criticized the planned citizens’ money as a “smoke candle, because the design remains far too vague”. He emphasized that at least the obligation to cooperate should remain. “There must be no right to be lazy at the expense of hard-working taxpayers,” said Steiger. Anyone who is supported by the solidarity community with transfer payments must do everything possible to reintegrate into the labor market. Steiger also spoke out against an increase in current salaries and demanded “that the level of basic security remains essentially unchanged”. The social network should not “become a permanent option”.

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