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Christian Herrgott, General Secretary of the CDU Thuringia, taken on the sidelines of a state parliament meeting.
© Michael Reichel/dpa-Zentralbild/dpa
In the Saale-Orla district, refugees are supposed to work four hours a day.
This should make them fit for the job market, says the district administrator and is celebrated by party friends.
But there is also criticism.
Erfurt - Four hours a day, 80 cents an hour: In the Saale-Orla district in eastern Thuringia, CDU district administrator Christian Herrgott wants to force asylum seekers to work.
A corresponding regulation in the Asylum Seekers Benefits Act is being used, said a district spokesman on Tuesday.
The refugees are supposed to do simple jobs, especially in their shared accommodation.
The fee is 80 cents per hour, so a maximum of 64 euros per month.
If they refuse, they face a monetary cut of up to 180 euros per month.
The first hours of work have already been done by refugees, said Herrgott.
But we are still at the beginning of implementing the concept.
“It’s obviously about giving the refugees a daily structure and preparing those who can work for the first job market,” said the 39-year-old.
But it is also about creating acceptance among the population “that those who are here and are supported by the German taxpayer also give something back through charitable work.”
Herrgott became known nationwide when he was elected district administrator of the Saale-Orla district in eastern Thuringia at the end of January and defeated AfD opponent Uwe Thrum in the runoff election - the district was considered an AfD stronghold.
Now he is celebrated for his approach to dealing with refugees within his own ranks.
The Thuringian CDU state parliament member Beate Meißner wrote on X: “Speaking of which, what is Germany's first AfD district administrator actually doing in #Sonneberg?
Nothing but hot air: neither #payment card nor work obligation for #refugees!
Some are agitating, others are doing it!” Meißner is a member of the district council in the Sonneberg district in southern Thuringia, where Robert Sesselmann, Germany’s first AfD district administrator, was elected last summer.
According to the district, there is currently no obligation for asylum seekers to work there.
The topic should be on the agenda at a district council meeting this week.
Thuringia's CDU leader Mario Voigt said: "We have to send the message: Anyone who experiences the solidarity of the community in Germany must also give something back."
Thuringia's Integration Minister Doreen Denstädt (Greens) sharply criticized Herrgott's policies: "Mr. Herrgott is doing exactly what right-wing groups are currently trying to do: he is using the false narrative of work-shy refugees," she told the German Press Agency.
It is known that most refugees wanted to work, but were still unable to do so due to work bans and excessive bureaucracy.
“It’s not just shabby.
Lord God is also pouring oil on a fire that the democratic forces are currently trying to ignite.”
According to a spokesman for the Saale-Orla district, the work will initially be distributed to refugees who are willing to do it voluntarily.
There is work, among other things, in the accommodation itself - such as cleaning, assistance with repairs or maintenance work in the outdoor area.
Municipalities and non-profit organizations were also contacted and encouraged to “create or inquire about job opportunities,” said the spokesman.
It is important that these work opportunities do not endanger regular jobs.
Clubs should also be considered for such work assignments.
Herrgott had already outlined his policy last week in Markus Lanz's ZDF talk show and mentioned green-cutting work in the outdoor area of a refugee accommodation as an example of work opportunities.
The concept goes back to a district council decision that was made in autumn 2023, i.e. before his election victory.
He emphasized that he was also concerned with the implementation of applicable law.
Paragraph five of the Asylum Seekers Benefits Act states: “Those who are able to work but are not gainfully entitled to benefits and who are no longer of compulsory school age are obliged to take up a job opportunity that is made available to them.”
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The CDU district administrator admits that organizing work for the refugees involves “a lot of administrative effort”.
“But in my opinion it is justified.”
The Thuringian Refugee Council criticized the actions in the eastern Thuringian district.
“From our perspective, a work requirement is completely absurd,” said project coordinator, Juliane Kemnitz.
The reality is that there is a ban on refugees taking up work, especially in the first few months after their arrival in Germany.
With his initiative, Lord God is reproducing an image of refugees unwilling to work that is fundamentally wrong.
dpa