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SPD leader Saskia Esken in the Bundestag
Photo:
Kay Nietfeld / dpa
The SPD party leader Saskia Esken has spoken out in favor of limiting mandate periods in the Bundestag.
One has to consider "whether we don't have to limit the time in parliament so that it doesn't become a lifelong profession," said Esken of the "Süddeutsche Zeitung" (Saturday edition).
However, that is her "very personal opinion".
The SPD leader advocated that members of the Bundestag should complete three legislative periods.
"After the first one, you halfway understood how things are going. You don't get lost any more and you know who you have to work with so that something goes ahead," she told the SZ.
But two legislative periods are not enough, because "otherwise you quickly run out of experienced leaders".
Working outside of politics is "enrichment"
Esken announced that she would run for the Bundestag again next year.
"That would be the third legislative period, after that I'm out. I'm of retirement age," she said.
Esken sees the different stations in her professional career as an enrichment.
Before completing her IT training, she worked in the catering industry, as a chauffeur, parcel deliverer and typist.
"I've seen how after a fixed-term job you have to look for the next job, which, damn it, was fixed-term again," she said.
That is something different than "how do you say it: delivery room, lecture hall, plenary hall".
Saskia Esken keeps work parallel to the mandate for "abuse"
Esken also criticized MPs who, in addition to their mandate, pursue another profession.
There are "top earners" who are actually never in the Bundestag.
"It is a mystery to me which constituency puts these people up and which voter votes them. For me this is a clear abuse," she said.
With a view to the changing world of work, Esken said: "The 35-hour IG Metall worker in the automotive industry does not represent the majority of the workforce."
Therefore, the view of the SPD must also be wider.
It is true that not all crowdworkers who repeatedly apply for work assignments on the Internet are in a precarious position.
In view of the change in the world of work, however, there must be more protective laws.
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