Magdeburg (dpa/sa) – Saxony-Anhalt’s Prime Minister Reiner Haseloff (CDU) welcomed the compromise on citizen income on Friday. “I am very grateful that, after informal talks and a successful mediation process, it was possible to discuss a new law here today, which modernizes and further develops the basic security for job seekers to a certain extent, but at the same time the essential cornerstones of the Hartz IV Systems preserved,” said Haseloff on Friday in the Federal Council, according to the State Chancellery. He called on the federal government to examine the additional burdens on the municipalities through the Citizens’ Income Act and to compensate accordingly.
The Bundestag gave the go-ahead for the planned citizens’ allowance on Friday, and the final vote in the Bundesrat should take place on the same day. This means that the citizen’s income could flow with significantly higher benefit rates on January 1st. The core of the reform is a change in the job center’s approach to the unemployed. In the future, they should do more to ensure that those affected get permanent work instead of short-term unskilled jobs. These parts of the reform are scheduled to come into force on July 1st.
From the point of view of the Arbeiterwohlfahrt (AWO) Sachsen-Anhalt, Hartz IV will not be overcome with the citizens’ allowance. The improvements were not enough, the association announced on Friday. Celebrating the increase in standard requirements from 2023 as a success is “remote from reality and mocks those affected,” said Chairwoman Barbara Höckmann.
