The Federal constitutional court this week about whether cuts to the state basic welfare Hartz IV legislation. Aid organisations warn: the Hartz-IV-sanctions threaten the human dignity.
In Germany there are around 2.34 million adults without work, that is a rate of about 3.4 percent. In March 2018, approximately 6.2 million people receiving the basic state backup of Hartz IV On dealing with them advise since this week, the Federal constitutional court. The main question is: Should not shorten the Jobcenter Hartz-IV payments, if the recipient to participate in training measures or proposed work refuse? Or saw such sanctions on the subsistence minimum and are unconstitutional?
Hartz IV is the colloquial term for unemployment benefit II (ALG II). Introduced in 2005, this basic backup working-age people with low or no income, so that you too can lead a life that corresponds to the first article of the basic law: “human Dignity is inviolable.”
The ALG II for a single Person currently amounts to 424 Euro in the month. Of electricity, food, clothes, phone bill and all you need to be, what else is needed for life, paid for. The cost for heating and rent one by the state as “appropriate” prestigious apartment in addition.
Hubertus Heil defended the Hartz-IV-sanctions
In the case of penalties of 10, 30, 60, or even 100 percent of the Hartz IV-payments deleted. Impossible, Friederike Mussgnug of diakonia, the relief organisation of the Protestant Church. “The effects of these sanctions are unduly harsh because they engage in the subsistence minimum”, says the speaker, for the social law in an interview with DW.
The Federal government sees it differently. The minimum stay is secured, said Federal Minister for labour, Hubertus Heil on Tuesday. The Hartz IV cuts were “activating assistance”, says Heil. It should be from the social state “as much encouragement as possible and as much admonition as necessary.”
Sanctions for missed appointments and rejected Jobs
In the case of sanctions benefits for the receiver to be reduced for various reasons. In the case of a reporting failure, so if a Hartz-IV-receivers without “major reason” does not appear to an appointment at the job centre (former employment office), the benefit is reduced for three months by 10 percent. In the case of multiple missed appointments, the cuts add up.
Harder it will be, if the beneficiary for a breach of duty should be punished. This is what happens when he rejects without “important reason” by the Jobcenter as a reasonable well-paid job, a job interview deliberately breaks rules, continuing education and training to reject measures.
In the case of the first such breach of duty, Hartz will be shortened-IV to 30 percent, in the second by 60 percent. In the case of the third breach in a year it comes to full sanctioning: There are three months of no money and the rent is not paid. Even for health insurance, the state does not at this time.
One Problem: The job centre provided training courses are not always showed to understand how, for example, Twitter user Mila in a viral Tweet. Her mother, so the user had to join in degrading employment measures, in order to escape the Hartz-IV-sanctions.
The Threat Of Homelessness
Harald Thomé is a speaker for the unemployed and social assistance law, as well as Chairman of the Association Tacheles in Wuppertal, Germany. Turkey sees itself as advocacy for the unemployed and advises people in matters of livelihood, and Hartz-IV Thomé has experience with “counter-productive” claims of jobcenter, as he calls them.
“I had a case of a man who has earlier directed application training,” says Thomé of the DW. After the coach lost his Job, he was sent to training. Subject: Job Application Training. “After the fourth Time he has asked ‘What is this? I refuse to go in there. This is a waste of public money, I can do better than the coach.’ For this, he has to get a sanction.”
Thomé criticized the sanctions to be sharp. He has had to do in case of Tacheles with people who “were sick or completely overwhelmed”, with sanctions to be punished and so your apartment will be lost. This is also diakonia officer Mussgnug. “This is a real danger,” she says, as each sanction is for three months, a landlord in the Absence of the rent, but must terminate after only two months of the lease.
People would be in danger?
In the case of a single people, the monthly Hartz IV is reduced in the case of the first breach of duty-payment from 424 EUR 127,20 EUR. “It often makes people stuck for years in this System, and thus, no reserves have more,” says Thomé. “As 127 Euro are disastrous a lot of money.” The Tacheles, the Chairman rejects the cuts to the categorical: “The sanctions would violate the principle of the people.”
Labour Minister healing, however, says: “For human dignity also means that people make an effort.” Otherwise, the unemployment benefits would be an unconditional basic income, and not be so wanted.
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Faces of German povertyGloomy Prospects
View from the Grohner Düne: The high-rise settlement is considered to be one of the most deprived neighbourhoods in Bremen. The city-state has statistically the highest risk of poverty seen in Germany. More than every Fifth person here is threatened by poverty. As the arm is in Germany, and who has less than 60 percent of the median income.
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Faces of German povertyThe preparations are running
In Bremen there are three boards – food expenditure as the poverty the fight. To the edition castle point approximately 125 people a day. Everything the non-profit Association issues, was previously donated by companies, bakeries, super markets or drugstores.
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Faces of German povertyColorful Diversity
To come to the tables of families, retirees, migrants and Refugees. “Bremen is a multi-cultural place,” says Hannelore Vogel, one of the organizers. “Here we have no tension. At the table we experience an atmosphere of tolerance and gratitude.”
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Faces of German povertyHardworking Helpers
Many volunteers, such as the 80-year-old pensioner Werner can be involved in the Bremer panel. In addition, 1-Euro-jobbers and trainees in the food help.
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Faces of German povertyDecay in hall
In the hall of the vacancy in the district of Halle-Neustadt is not to be overlooked. Hall was in GDR times very attractive. In the meantime, broken plate master buildings and empty apartments in the city. The number of unemployment is high and prospects poor.
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Faces of German povertyOnly the bare minimum
In the social house hall socially disadvantaged people are buying for a small price of food, household goods, clothing and much more. The main target group of the shop are children and old people in Need. The demand is large, also hall is one of the poorest cities in Germany.
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Faces of German povertyEverything for the household
Institutions such as the social purchase of the house are always in demand. Sold to donate to the rent and can be paid at the end of invoices. “80 percent of our customers are foreigners, many of them refugees,” says the seller, Gabi Croll. “The Germans avoid it here, probably out of shame.”
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Faces of German povertyGrowing Child Poverty
No sports club, no birthday party, no tutoring – and more than two million children suffer from poverty, and almost one out of seven needs help from the state. In Halle-Neustadt child poverty is particularly high. The family of every third child receives social support.
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Faces of German povertyFavorite food
In the device sections of the East about 50 children between the ages of six and 15 years after school. “We want to bring the kids away from the road and to a straight path,” says Bettina Schaper, Director. To many it was a lack of a warm meal. “Our motto here is: no child goes home hungry.”
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Faces of German povertyWe are family
The demand is increasing, according to coordinator Bettina Schaper continuously. The main proportion were children of Refugees. In addition to the provision of free meals, the children receive help with homework and can play with their peers and cope successfully in everyday life. Brushing your teeth learning the way it goes sometimes.
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Faces of German povertyLoneliness
In Berlin, approximately 6000 people are estimated to have on the road. For years, the growing in number of homeless in major European cities. About 60 percent of the Apartment in Berlin are foreigners. Most of them come from Eastern European countries.
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Faces of German povertyBerlin’s Future Dreams
Jörg is aschinist trained as a Tree and lives for six years on the road. In an accident he lost his leg. He complains about the growing number of homeless in Berlin. The competition with each other had increased as a result. His biggest dream was to one day play again, the drums, the 38-Year-old. “I always really fun.”
Mussgnug contradicts the image of the lazy unemployed, is drawn by the sanctions to account. “People who want to press really seriously are so clever to do that, without being noticed.” Instead, for example, people with depression who are no longer able to open letters, and so any messages from the Jobcenter missed meet it. Instead of cuts, a psycho-social support was necessary.
In comparison to the harshest of penalties, even a prison sentence could be less bad, says Mussgnug – a stark comparison, but he was clearly. “In prison, a man has some existential’t have to Worry about you, if you get a full or a 60 percent sanction. Then you don’t know whether you keep a roof over your head, and you don’t know whether you will always have three meals a day. In prison you have to make sure of that.”