Citizens’ allowance and illegal work – Greens want to combat abuse

Receiving citizen’s allowance and also income from illegal work? The Greens also want to fight this abuse of social benefits more vigorously. “Illegal work costs society hundreds of billions of euros,” said parliamentary group vice-chairman Andreas Audretsch to the “Rheinische Post”. “Companies that employ people illegally while they receive citizen’s allowance are committing a criminal offense. This must be strictly prosecuted. We must put an end to the model of illegal work plus citizen’s allowance.”

The “Bild” newspaper reported at the weekend that the SPD wanted to take tougher action against people receiving citizen’s allowance who were caught working illegally. They would not be paid the standard rate for two months. According to the report, the plan is now part of the coalition’s budget negotiations. The FDP has agreed to this. Finance Minister Christian Lindner (FDP) supports the plans, according to “RP”.

It is only fair to impose stricter sanctions on undeclared work and welfare fraud, explained the deputy leader of the SPD parliamentary group, Dagmar Schmidt.

The German Federation of Trade Unions (DGB) is skeptical about these demands for sanctions for people receiving the citizen’s allowance who work illegally in the current budget negotiations. “Even if it were possible, with a lot of effort, to sanction people receiving the citizen’s allowance who work illegally, the federal budget cannot be saved,” said DGB board member Anja Piel. There is “no way around” another suspension of the debt brake and its fundamental reform.

In the budget plans, Federal Finance Minister Lindner is calling for far-reaching cuts in various departments. Piel accused him of wanting to make cuts in the social sector in particular. “The Federal Finance Minister can no longer act as if the major problems can be solved by playing people with low incomes off against each other,” said Piel in response to the cuts. “Anyone who acts in this way will only deepen the social divide and further promote the centrifugal forces in our country.”