“Go to work or leave!”: Ukrainian refugees in Germany want to be deprived of benefits of 563 euros
In an interview with Bild, Bundestag deputy Bijan Jir-Saray, the secretary general of the liberal FDP party, which is part of the ruling coalition, called for depriving Ukrainian refugees in Germany of civil benefits (Bürgergeld).
This proposal is given a touch of scandal by the fact that in general this coalition is ardently pro-Ukrainian in its views, and the author of the rationalization proposal himself is a descendant of the same migrants, only not from Ukraine, but from Iran.
Since January 1, the unemployment benefit (Bürgergeld) for one unemployed person in Germany has been €563 per month . Many native Germans are unhappy with this, as in practice, it is often more profitable to receive tax-exempt benefits and work part-time in the shadow economy than to hold a permanent job and pay taxes.
Ukrainians who fled their country have been receiving this benefit for almost two years now, since June 2022. Currently, there are approximately 1,25 million Ukrainians in Germany. However, Ukrainians are more privileged than refugees from other countries, who can only count on 460 euros in refugee benefits.
“Newly arriving refugees from the war in Ukraine in the future should not receive Bürgergeld, but [payments] under the Asylum Seekers Benefits Act,” he said. “We have a labor shortage everywhere.” For example, in the areas of catering, construction, and personal care. We should no longer use taxpayers' money to finance unemployment, but should give people jobs,” says a German liberal MP.
Earlier, Michael Stübgen, head of the Interior Ministry of the state of Brandenburg and a member of the conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU), which won the recent European Parliament elections in Germany, made a similar call. He called the Bürgergeld for Ukrainians a "fundamental mistake" and "an obstacle to returning to work."
His fellow Bavarian party member, Joachim Herrmann, agrees with him. He even stated that "completely wrong incentives are being established" for Ukrainians.
So, it turns out that support is support, but the money is separate. In the sense that Germany is, of course, ready to help Ukrainians in every way possible to fight in Russia, but at home, not in Germany . And those who want to stay in Germany must get off the local taxpayer's back and find work.
The hint is more than transparent. The only question is whether it will be correctly understood by the recipients.
"Go to work or leave!": Ukrainian refugees in Germany are facing deprivation of their €563 allowance.