Berlin The Bundestag has launched the citizens’ allowance planned by the traffic light coalition. SPD, Greens and FDP voted with their majority for the law. In a roll-call vote, 385 MPs voted in favor of the law, 261 against. There were 33 abstentions. Citizens’ income is to gradually replace the current Hartz IV system at the turn of the year.
However, this still requires approval in the Bundesrat, which is expected to decide on Monday. The Union has threatened to block citizen’s income there because it believes it reduces motivation to take up work.
After the debate in the Bundestag on Thursday, Federal Labor Minister Hubertus Heil (SPD) campaigned for approval in the state chamber. “If that doesn’t work, there is still a chance, namely the possibility of getting results in a speedy mediation process.” But you have to be finished by the end of November at the latest so that the citizen’s income can come into force on January 1st. The mediation process means a search for compromise in the joint mediation committee of the Bundestag and Bundesrat.
In a heated debate in the morning, the Bundestag dealt with the planned citizen income reform. Heil (SPD) once again clearly defended the project against criticism – while numerous opposition politicians expressed their displeasure with the social reform.
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There were sharp arguments above all between representatives of the government factions of the SPD, Greens and FDP and MPs from the CDU and CSU. The deputy chairman of the Union faction, Hermann Gröhe (CDU), accused the traffic light coalition of refusing any debate about the “weaving errors” of the law.
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The Union, on whose approval the traffic light is later dependent in the Bundesrat for a final adoption of the citizen’s income, has repeatedly criticized the targeted departure from the previous Hartz IV system and is still threatening a blockade in the State Chamber.
In the Bundestag debate, the CDU politician sharply criticized citizen income.
(Photo: dpa)
From the point of view of the CDU and CSU, the citizen’s income reduces the motivation to accept a job. In all probability, the Federal Council wants to deal with citizen income in a special session next Monday.
It is the “biggest welfare state reform in 20 years,” said Labor Minister Heil. The reform should enable people to find a job perspective again after a long period of unemployment. Something is wrong in the system if people are only repeatedly placed in auxiliary activities instead of finding permanent work, explained Heil.
Criticism of the attitude of the Union
The Labor Minister harshly criticized the Union’s position. It was a “logical break” that the CDU and CSU now only wanted to agree to an increase in the standard rates instead of supporting the entire reform, said Heil. As he had done several times before, Heil rejected the accusation that working with the new system would no longer be worthwhile in the future. “Work must be worthwhile,” he emphasized.
Several members of the Greens and FDP also expressed anger at the attitude of the Union faction. The parliamentary manager of the FDP parliamentary group, Johannes Vogel, called it “schizophrenic and dishonest” that the Union was claiming that people with basic income would have more money in the future than low earners.
Union parliamentary group leader Gröhe, on the other hand, accused the traffic light government of ignoring criticism of the reform from other places, such as the city and district councils. “With this arrogance you will not advance the welfare state, with this arrogance you will fail!” said Gröhe.
The AfD and the left also criticized the legislative plans – albeit for very different reasons. The deputy AfD parliamentary group leader Norbert Kleinwächter said that in the future the basic income would mainly help people who were not willing to work. Left parliamentary group leader Dietmar Bartsch, on the other hand, made it clear that the reform plans were not enough to ensure a real departure from Hartz IV. The standard rates would be increased too late and are overall too low, said Bartsch.
More: Work should be worthwhile – CDU and FDP present proposals for the low-wage sector