SPD leader Saskia Esken insists on a significant increase in the standard rates in the citizen income reform. “We must not leave people with low incomes alone with the ongoing price increases,” she told the editorial network Germany (Thursday editions). “Like the minimum wage, the standard rates for basic security must also rise sharply.”
Esken further said that the adjustment should be made “by revising the calculation basis for the standard rates” and not be determined politically. “I’m sure that our coalition partners are also willing to support people in this difficult situation, so that we can achieve good results together in the fall,” said the SPD leader.
“With the citizens’ allowance, we give people who remain unemployed for a longer period of time and who are in need more security and better prospects,” said Esken about the reform plans presented to Labor Minister Hubertus Heil (SPD). “We want our welfare state and our society to treat those affected with respect.” At the same time, it is about opening up new opportunities for those affected through qualification.
