As of: February 28, 2024, 8:41 a.m
By: Christian Deutschländer
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Christian Herrgott, CDU district administrator in the Saale-Orla district (archive photo from 2021) © Michael Reichel/dpa
Compulsory work for refugees: This has been tried out in Bavaria for a long time - but with a lot of administrative effort.
Munich – The new district administrator has a mountain of work ahead of him.
The Wurzbach elementary school must be rebuilt, the bridge over the Linkenmühle must be planned and the district levy must be discussed.
These are important things locally.
Christian Herrgott (CDU) has now launched a huge national project.
He wants to be the first district administrator to require asylum seekers to do community service.
After only two weeks in office, the 39-year-old from the Saale-Orla district in eastern Thuringia is making headlines across the country.
“District administrator forces refugees to work,” is the headline
in Bild
.
“It's about sending a signal that people who are paid with tax money have to give something back to society and not sit on a park bench all day,” says Herrgott.
Perhaps this contributes much better to integration than some courses.
CDU district administrator obliges asylum seekers to work – an election campaign maneuver?
It's about refugees in community facilities.
They are supposed to clean streets, clean accommodation, trim hedges for up to four hours a day. Further work with clubs and municipal companies is being sought.
Legally, this works everywhere in Germany.
The Asylum Seekers Benefits Act, Section 5, stipulates 80 cents per hour as the minimum wage.
That would come to 64 euros per month.
Lord wants to reduce the benefits of those who refuse to do so by 180 euros.
For now, however, a voluntary solution is being sought.
An election campaign maneuver?
Herrgott is part-time general secretary of the Thuringian CDU, there is a state election on September 1st, and the AfD is leading in the polls.
The situation in Herrgott's district is also very tense.
He was only razor-thin with 52 percent in the runoff against an AfD district administrator candidate.
The first regional victim advice center has already come forward with criticism, saying he is offending civil society that supported him against the AfD.
The district administrator, however, refers to a decision by the district council from 2023, long before his election.
Red and green district councilors would have voted.
In fact, there is a large majority in favor of requiring adult, healthy asylum seekers to work.
Federal Labor Minister Hubertus Heil (SPD) said: “Where it makes sense, it can and should be used.”
Compulsory work for asylum seekers has been tested in Bavaria since 2015
In truth, Lord God is not first.
This has also been rehearsed in Bavaria for a long time.
“We have currently signed up 84 asylum seekers, some of them voluntarily,” says Traunstein district administrator Siegfried Walch.
This has been in practice since 2015.
“We are now in the process of organizing this across the board again: everyone who lives in shared accommodation and is able to work should commit to community service.” So far, this mainly refers to work in and around the accommodation: cleaning, maintenance, garden care .
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Walch admits that not every job is possible and that there is also a need for control.
But you can find many tasks pragmatically.
He also emphasizes: “This of course leads to greater acceptance among the population.”
Augsburg has also tried this on a small scale.
The attempts were not particularly successful, social officer Martin Schenkelberg (CSU) told the BR
in October
.
The main problem is the administrative burden.
You have to find jobs that train candidates.
“And I can’t have someone standing next to me 24 hours a day to make sure the place is cleaned.”