The Limited Times

Now you can see non-English news...

Everyday life of parliamentarians: "I often just worked"

2021-11-20T14:58:23.249Z


Lots of money, transport service, employees - despite this, many members of the Bundestag are tired of their jobs. Former students tell why they are going back home and what they will not miss.


Enlarge image

After twelve years as a member of the Bundestag and more than 20 years in state politics, Markus Tressel (Greens) decided not to run again.

Photo:

Frederic Kern / Future Image / IMAGO

Markus Tressel wasn't there when his eldest son learned to swim.

Years later, when the child's finger had to be sewn back on, he could not go to the hospital.

Instead, the then co-state chairman and Saarland member of the Bundestag gave a speech on political Ash Wednesday.

And when parliament had to vote on the aid packages for Greece, his family was left alone at the campsite in southern France while he traveled to Berlin.

Tressel's father dies in 2018 - and he realizes how exhausted his energy was.

“As a politician you become very efficient.

I often just worked, ”says Tressel today.

"I could have been woken up at three at night and I could have given a speech on insolvency protection in the tourism industry, relatively ready for printing."

Tressel decides: After twelve years as a member of the Bundestag and more than 20 years in state politics, he will no longer run.

Why didn't he stop earlier?

“I've always done politics with body and soul.

That's why I didn't even notice for a long time what I was putting on my family and me. "As a politician, says Tressel, you are never alone:" Without my wife, her tolerance and her organizational talent, it would not have been possible. "

SPIEGEL spoke to five MPs from various parties who sat in the Bundestag in the last legislative period.

What they have in common: All parliamentarians have voluntarily decided not to run again.

One founded a consulting firm, the other works as vice chairman for a political foundation.

Others of them see what comes next.

Plenary sessions, groups of visitors, church fairs

MPs are their own bosses, committed only to their conscience.

However, they cannot really decide freely about their appointments: they have to be in Berlin for at least 20 weeks a year.

There they rush to committee, parliamentary group, working group and plenary meetings, attend specialist conferences, talk to journalists or supervise visitor groups.

They usually spend the weekends and non-meeting weeks in their constituency: visits to the shooting festival, church fairs, speeches on public holidays or at party conferences.

Whoever wants to be re-elected has to be visible.

How much MEPs really work is difficult to check.

Because attendance lists are only available on meeting days, the rest of the time the parliamentarians can theoretically decide for themselves.

They may be represented in parliamentary group meetings or important appointments - not in roll-call votes.

Enlarge image

Michaela Noll (CDU): "I find it physically borderline to take part in meetings from seven o'clock in the morning until two o'clock in the morning."


Photo: Caroline Seidel / picture alliance / dpa

In an interview with SPIEGEL, all parliamentarians stated that they worked at least 60 to 80 hours a week.

"I find it physically borderline to take part in meetings from seven o'clock in the morning until two o'clock in the morning," says CDU politician Michaela Noll, who had been in the Bundestag since 2002.

Former AfD MP Roman Reusch says that he simply didn't have time for sports.

And Green politician Tressel also says: »Even if a member of parliament at some point suffers from the mandate or the circumstances, you will be elected by the citizens for four years.

It's a heavy duty that you can't just give up or do part-time. "

Discharged from hospital for voting

The enormous workload is also leaving its mark in Parliament.

In November 2019, two MPs had to receive medical care within a few hours: First the CDU MP Matthias Hauer collapsed during a speech, and later the left-wing politician Simone Barrientos suffered a fit of weakness.

The work situation in the Bundestag was "misanthropic," said a party colleague.

21 session weeks were scheduled in 2019, on 14 days the parliamentary sessions ran until after midnight.

"If you can give a speech in the Bundestag or an important vote is pending, a lot has to happen before you let others decide," says Daniela Kolbe.

The SPD politician was elected to the Bundestag for the first time at the age of 29 and fell ill with cancer in her first term.

Enlarge image

Daniela Kolbe (SPD) left the hospital to vote at her own risk: "I would have been unhappy if I hadn't been able to participate - the topic was too important to me for that."

Photo:

Christoph Hardt / Future Image / IMAGO

Once, the MP says today, she discharged herself from the hospital to go to a vote.

At that time it was about the fiscal pact and the establishment of the euro rescue package.

"The senior doctor looked at me a little piqued while the chief doctor just handed me an FFP2 mask," said Kolbe.

"But I would have been unhappy if I hadn't been able to participate - the topic was too important to me for that."

Lush diets - but no parental leave

Members of parliament do not get a wage, but a kind of allowance, so-called diets.

This is currently 10,012.89 euros per month.

In addition, they receive a tax-free lump sum, 4,560.59 euros per month.

With this, the MPs pay for their second residence in Berlin or office supplies in the constituency.

If MPs do not take part in plenary sessions, money will be deducted from this lump sum in accordance with Section 14 of the MPs Act: 200 euros for unexcused absence, 20 euros with a certificate, 100 euros if their own name is not on the attendance list.

Only if MPs are currently on maternity leave or have to look after a sick child under the age of 14, nothing will be deducted from them.

Unlike many employees, members of the Bundestag are also not entitled to parental leave.

After all, MPs exercise a free mandate and can organize their time themselves - at least in principle.

"With my first child, I gave myself three months of parental leave by not going to any other events," says left-wing politician Niema Movassat.

Enlarge image

Niema Movassat (Die Linke) took a three-month break after the first child - no longer with the second

Photo:

Frederic Kern / Future Image / IMAGO

That also caused displeasure in my own party: »Once I was entered for a speech that I didn't know about.

At some point I got an angry email from a colleague: I would be sitting around at home all the time anyway, skipping committee meetings - and now suddenly have time to talk? «, Says Movassat.

This is one of the reasons why he started working again straight away after the birth of his second child.

“We have to ask ourselves: Do we want to be represented by full-time politicians only - or do we want to make it easier for MPs with children?

You also need time to gather strength. "

New, more efficient Bundestag?

On the other hand, many employees can only dream of the MPs' diets. In conversation, too, many emphasize that under no circumstances did they want to complain. In addition, parliamentarians are given a BahnCard 100 for 1st class, they have a transport service and a staff of employees. Can't we expect more from MPs for these financial goodies? Politician Noll sees it differently: "Without these aids, without the transport service and my three employees in Berlin and in the constituency, I would not have been able to manage this workload."

The Bundestag has tried several times to straighten the agenda - but not always successfully: In the past, for example, the long Thursday, on which parliamentary sessions usually last until late at night, should be shortened.

Instead, it should go longer on Wednesday, from afternoon to evening.

The consequence: Both days were long.

"Politics, and especially the Bundestag, function very strongly according to rituals, also because it has always been done that way," says Tressel.

At the same time, many new, young MPs have just moved into the Bundestag: "I hope that they bring a breath of fresh air to the debate: how MPs can work well and reliably without getting worn out."

The new Bundestag President Bärbel Bas has already announced that there could soon be some changes in the new Bundestag: "I would like to agree with the parliamentary groups that we reduce our night-time sessions as much as possible," said the SPD politician in an interview with Tagesspiegel .

Already during the coalition negotiations, a rethinking was becoming apparent: “Colleagues negotiating there are those who say: I have a family, I don't want to spend the night around my ears.

That's why it's over in the early evening. "

A few weeks ago, on the day of the constituent meeting, Tressel handed in his office key.

He was relieved, he says.

Now the former MP goes to bed in the evening without knowing what will be written about him in the newspaper tomorrow.

In the summer the whole family was on vacation for three weeks, longer than in the past ten years.

And recently his youngest son learned to swim.

This time Markus Tressel was there.

Source: spiegel

All business articles on 2021-11-20

You may like

News/Politics 2024-03-09T17:08:03.555Z

Trends 24h

Latest

© Communities 2019 - Privacy

The information on this site is from external sources that are not under our control.
The inclusion of any links does not necessarily imply a recommendation or endorse the views expressed within them.