There are only two sentences on page three of the CDU’s new welfare state concept – but they have it all. “If a basic security recipient who is able to work refuses work that is reasonable for him (“total refuser”) without any objective reason, it should be assumed in the future that he is not in need,” says the concept. “There is then no longer any entitlement to basic security.” In short: The CDU wants to cut off citizens’ benefits for those unwilling to work – completely and permanently.
The Federal Executive Board unanimously approved the concept for the “New Basic Security”, as the CDU wants citizens’ money to be called in the future, on Monday. Now General Secretary Carsten Linnemann has come to the foyer of the CDU headquarters together with the federal chairmen of the Employees’ Wing and the SME Union, Karl-Josef Laumann and Gitta Connemann, to present it. It is obvious that Connemann and her middle class union approve of the tightening. This also applies to Linnemann – he led the middle class union before Connemann. What is particularly interesting is how employee wing boss Laumann justifies the drastic change.
Laumann diagnoses a “decreasing acceptance” of citizen’s money
The trained machine fitter is considered the social conscience of the CDU. He is Minister of Labor in North Rhine-Westphalia and has been head of the employee wing of the federal CDU for almost 20 years.
Unfortunately, there is currently “a decreasing acceptance of citizens’ money” in Germany, says Laumann. This is “simply due to the fact that we have a labor market situation in which ordinary citizens see every day, at every turn, that there is a labor shortage in Germany.” Nevertheless, “the integration into the labor market is not done well enough with citizen’s benefit.”
The basis of the CDU’s social policy should always be that people do not have to fear for their housing or their livelihood if something bad happens in their lives, says Laumann. “It is very important that the state guarantees security in this issue too.” That is also the CDU’s view of humanity.
“I can shut down a machine, but you can’t shut down a person.”
In addition, a welfare state “always only works on a good balance of solidarity on the one hand and personal responsibility on the other.” However, the citizen’s money is tilted too much towards solidarity – and not enough towards personal responsibility. It is also necessary “that people not only have money, but that they also have a good reason to get up in the morning,” says Laumann. “I can shut down a machine, but you can’t shut down a person.”
That’s why “a good social policy is a social policy that takes people by the hand and also guides them to get back to a life where they have a task.”https://www.sueddeutsche.de/politik/.”That has to be the case we can get stronger again.” To do this, “business must also give people who don’t have such a great resume a fair chance.” But if someone refuses reasonable work, it must also be possible to impose sanctions – also in order to maintain the acceptance of the system among the people who finance the social benefits with their tax payments. It’s only about a few “total refusers” – but if you don’t take action against them, you’ll endanger the acceptance of the entire system. People need to feel that things are being done fairly.
But with whom does the CDU want to enforce the new sanctions, Secretary General Linnemann is asked. The SPD and the Greens would vehemently reject the CDU’s proposal. “If we thought about what we could achieve with whom every day, we could save ourselves all the program work,” answers Linnemann. A party must “never think in terms of compromises; it must always say what it would do if it had an absolute majority.”
Social law expert Schlegel believes the proposal is constitutional
The Secretary General is also not afraid that the CDU proposal could be unconstitutional. On the one hand, they just want to cut off basic security for total refusers. The costs for housing and heating should continue to be covered by the state, says Linnemann. And it will be ensured that partners and children of “total refusers” are not harmed. Legal advice was also sought.
This is where Rainer Schlegel comes into play. The man was president of the Federal Social Court until the end of February. He advised the CDU. And he has now come to the foyer of the CDU headquarters. Schlegel quotes extensively from the relevant decision of the Federal Constitutional Court. And he interprets the statements about the so-called total objectors. Schlegel believes that the CDU’s proposal is constitutional. At this point Linnemann nods quite happily.
However, the Secretary General cannot answer one question: How many “total objectors” there are in Germany – and how much money could be saved with the CDU initiative.