Shortage of staff: indoor swimming pool closed – but employees are to be deported

Created: 2022-10-20Updated: 2022-10-23 9:22pm

By: Sebastian Tauchnitz

The district office means that it only implements existing laws.

© Christoph Hardt/IMAGO

The indoor pool is currently closed due to staff shortages.

Nevertheless, the employment contract with a lifeguard was terminated a few months ago.

Weilheim

– Diyar M. (name changed) is, as his acquaintances report, a prime example of successful integration.

The Iranian has lived in Germany for almost seven years, works as a volunteer football coach in Weilheim, has his own apartment, is well integrated in the family and is a Protestant Christian.

That was the main reason why he had to leave his homeland.

Employment contract terminated – immediate deportation prevented

Until recently, he was also employed by the district as a lifeguard in the Weilheim indoor pool.

That changed when his employment contract was terminated at the beginning of June, as his acquaintance Sylvia von Lichem reports.

Together with others she supports M. in his struggle and his life and future.

The employment contract was terminated because the district office revoked his residence permit.

"Only a lawyer could prevent his immediate deportation in June," writes von Lichem.

The decision was also highly controversial within the district office

When she read in the local newspaper that the indoor pool in Weilheim had to be closed due to a lack of staff, she could hardly believe her eyes.

On the one hand, they are desperately looking for staff, on the other hand, committed, well-integrated members are being thrown out.

A decision that, according to information from the local newspaper, was also highly controversial within the district office.

District Administrator Andrea Jochner-Weiss and other responsible persons were of the opinion that Diyar M. was practicing a so-called "shortage occupation" and that his residence permit could therefore be extended.

Representatives of the legal office and the immigration authorities objected.

Working as a lifeguard is not a classic apprenticeship.

This not only causes incomprehension in parts of the district office.

One of our sources puts it this way: “If a dishwasher in a restaurant is to be deported and I know that I will not be able to find a replacement given the situation on the job market, then the dishwasher has a shortage of work because the restaurant cannot open without him , because there are no more clean plates.”

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"Lifeguards only have a supplementary function"

Apparently, even after months of searching, no lifeguards were found for the indoor pool.

And it is by no means the case that only specialists for pool technology are needed to be able to open the indoor pool again.

"When there are swimming lessons, it is perfectly sufficient if a lifeguard is on site because there are supervisory staff.

This relieves the specialist employees, who can then be deployed during regular opening hours," says an employee of the district office.

Nevertheless, when asked, the district office argued in exactly the same direction: "In order to operate an indoor pool, you first and foremost need qualified employees for bathing operations (FAB).

Lifeguards, for example, can only have a supplementary and supportive role," the press office said.

A residence permit was never granted, only a “residence permit” that entitles the holder to take up work and which expired at the beginning of June.

"The district office is bound by the legal requirements"

It is also pointed out that, with the exception of serious criminals, no one is currently being deported to Iran.

However, this regulation has only been in effect for a few days after the regime in Iran brutally cracked down on demonstrators.

In June, when Diyar M. lost his residence status and was obliged to leave the country, he could have been deported.

Neither the fact that M. was able to earn his own living nor his good integration in Weilheim played a role in the decision: "Integration is generally important, but this initially requires a right of residence," writes the district office.

The district office left the question of why a Protestant Christian should be deported to an Islamist country completely unanswered.

Instead, it is emphasized once again: “The district office is bound by the legal requirements just like every citizen.

A role model function is expected from an authority in particular.”

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Hardship application: The fight is still going on

But how does the person concerned react to the events?

"Thank you for taking the time to hear my story," he writes.

And asks not to report: "According to the current situation, things are looking good for Iranian refugees and I have received a few promises or hopes that I might be able to continue working or even get a short stay!

My hardship application isn't through yet either.

After seven years of honest, hard fighting in this country, I don't want to spoil this opportunity and I still haven't lost hope." That's why the editors decided to change his name to enable him to have a fair hearing before the Hardship Commission.

Iranians are now getting help

Meanwhile, the district office has the backing of the Bavarian Ministry of the Interior: "Asylum seekers who, after a thorough examination, have no right to stay in Germany, have to leave our country again," the press office said.

The ministry does not explicitly rule out deportations to Iran: “As of today, we are not aware of either an updated assessment of the situation by the Federal Foreign Office or a well-founded assessment of the situation in Iran by the Federal Ministry of the Interior.

Statements made by the Federal Minister of the Interior in the media last week suggest that the Federal Government currently no longer considers deportations to Iran to be justifiable.”

There was no information from the Ministry of the Interior as to whether Diyar M. had a shortage job or not.

The Federal Employment Agency decides on this.

M. has now sought support from Asyl im Oberland and Caritas in the fight for his life.

You can find more current news from the Weilheim-Schongau district at Merkur.de/Weilheim.