Ines Schwerdtner, chairwoman of the Left Party, opposes the preparatory measures being taken by the Federal Government for a new civil service requirement. Speaking to the Funke Media Group, Schwerdtner argued that young people should not be used to plug gaps in a social state that the current government has neglected and underspent on for years. She warned that mandatory civil service risks displacing regular, fairly paid employment. “In fields like care, emergency services, and social institutions, we need well-trained professionals who are properly compensated, not state-mandated low-wage labor,” she stated.
The Federal Government claims to be taking steps to introduce civil service in the event that conscription is ever reinstated. However, the Left Party leader strongly criticized this approach. “The state should not dictate to young people how they must spend a year of their lives,” Schwerdtner asserted, adding that this principle applies equally to both military and civil service requirements.
Instead of debating new compulsory services, Schwerdtner called for efforts to make voluntary engagement genuinely appealing. Her proposals include establishing a legal right to volunteer service, providing adequate payment that allows people to actually live, and ensuring free public transportation for all volunteers. She concluded that rather than imposing obligations, young people must be offered good opportunities if they wish to contribute to social cohesion. “Voluntary participation, not coercion, would send the right message.”
