Unemployment money II : number of Hartz-IV-sanctions declined slightly

In the past year, less penalties against Hartz IV have been imposed on recipients as 2017. The number of sanctions decreased from 49,000 to 904.000, informed the Federal employment Agency (BA). Every month, an average of 3.2 percent of the working-Hartz-IV-recipients of benefit cuts affected.

the majority of sanctions, because the unemployed had missed an appointment with the Jobcenter (77 percent). In these cases, the job centres shorten the rule set for three months in order to ten percent. About a tenth of the penalties (a total of 96,000) was pronounced, because someone refused a job or a measure to accept or because he had these stopped. Here, the power is reduced at the first breach of Obligation by 30 per cent, in repeated cases, even to 60 percent.

be Particularly hard on young people punished

Particularly hard, the penalties for young people under 25 years of age. The first violation of a reporting failure, the benefit is reduced by 100 percent. It comes within a year to further breaches of duty, cancelling the job centre even the subsidies to the rent. BA CEO Detlev Scheele, the stricter sanction rules for young people to be abolished. "The threat of homelessness will not help us. We are losing young people from the eye and can no longer take care of us," said Scheele.

the Federal government and the Länder had already taken in the previous period, in an attempt to change the sanctioning practice for juveniles, the then labour Minister Andrea Nahles (SPD) made a specific legislative proposal. However, the Reform failed because of resistance from the CSU.

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The Federal constitutional court reviewed the legality of sanctions

The topic could come up in this legislature back on the agenda. Currently, the Federal constitutional court reviewed the question of whether, and the extent to which sanctions are permitted. The social court Gotha, had complained that a man was granted a dignified existence minimum, if the performance will be reduced by 60 percent. Also the judges in the oral hearings in January, doubts about the current sanctions regime. A judgment is expected in the course of the year.

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Hartz IV sanctions in the case of the Hartz IV law?

Cordula Eubel

the greens and the Left want to abolish the sanctions. "To live with less than the Minimum means for basic savings needs, such as food or Housing," said the social policy spokesman of the Green Bundestag faction, Sven Lehmann. The fundamental right to the guarantee of a decent minimum subsistence level must be fully each people is guaranteed, and should not be linked against benefits.