“Hard but fair”
Citizen’s benefit recipient describes the bitter reality of those affected by poverty – and has one central demand
“Hard but Fair” guest and citizen’s money recipient Thomas Wasilewski volunteers at the soup kitchen and at the food bank in Mönchengladbach
© Screenshot / ARD
When coffee becomes a luxury and the lack of money causes sleepless nights. In “Hard but Fair” a recipient of citizens’ benefit gave an impressive account of what poverty means for those affected.
563 euros per month, just under 19 euros per day, are available to recipients of citizen’s benefit. For food, for clothing, for your cell phone. Or, if you have enough money, to go to the cinema. In short: for a humane life. But the social benefit is not without controversy. “Pressure and sanctions: abolish citizens’ money?” asked moderator Luis Klamroth at the beginning of Monday evening’s “Tough but fair” – and worlds collided in the ARD talk.
On the one hand, for example, CDU politician Philipp Amthor, who wants to reduce basic state security (keyword: “total refusers”) or, in certain cases, even to eliminate it completely.
Citizen’s benefit recipient reports on “Hart aber fair” about bitter poverty
On the other: Thomas Wasilewski. The 59-year-old from Mönchengladbach is a recipient of citizens’ benefit. According to his own statements, the trained wholesale and foreign trade clerk has worked for 30 years, including integrating the long-term unemployed. Then he became ill and hasn’t been able to work since. He has been receiving citizen’s benefit or its predecessor, the so-called Hartz IV, for twelve years and has raised three children at the same time. “I have done everything to ensure that they are as integrated as possible in this country and that one day I can also ensure that I get a reasonable pension and basically I don’t get anything in return.” Wasilewski isn’t lazy: he works voluntarily in the soup kitchen and at the food bank where he lives, where long lines of people in need regularly form.
Wasilewski brought the reality of life of people affected by poverty into the discussion, reported on his everyday life and his voluntary work:
- “We support people here who have nothing to eat. (…) Grandma, grandpa stand here, people in need who go to work stand here. People who go to work all day – because they have nothing to eat at the end of the month, stand this one.”
- “People are hungry because the citizens’ money is not enough. It’s a cruel catastrophe for people when they’re standing there.”
- “There are women who need sanitary pads, who need toilet paper, who need tampons, who have nothing left.”
- “I can’t remember the last time I had a coffee out. I don’t do that, it’s an absolute luxury.”
- “I never believed in my professional life that I would lie awake at night and have to think about how you’re going to get to the end of the month, and have sleepless nights because it’s not enough at the front and back, get heart palpitations and get psychological problems because you don’t know anymore , how it goes on.”
Thomas Wasilewski regularly represents the rights of people affected by poverty in the media, and together with the social association VdK, he is suing for a higher standard citizen’s benefit rate. He considers a good 800 euros to be an amount that would be reasonably adequate. He thinks little of considerations about further dismantling the welfare state – as well as the rhetoric of many politicians who often generally label recipients of citizens’ benefit as lazy.
If everything stays as it is, the Mönchengladbacher sees little hope for a better life: “Because I’ll be poor for the rest of my life,” he said on “Hart aber fair”. CDU politician Amthor countered calls for an increase in standard rates, which would be a welfare state based on the “land of milk and honey” principle, and drew attention to a problem: “The money has to come from somewhere.”
Wasilewski knew that too. His demand to politicians: “If you want to take the last shirt off the weakest in this society through sanctions, then you should be fair and demand from the strongest in this society what society needs – namely higher taxes.”
You can watch the entire “Hard but Fair” broadcast from Monday evening in the ARD media library.