The Left has sharply criticized the federal government’s proposed Bürgergeld (basic income) reform.
Social‑policy spokesperson Cansin Köktürk called the promised “luxurious billions” the Union claimed would be saved by the reform a “sham already evident”. She warned that, by 2028, the new policy will cost more than it saves-partly because of higher personnel requirements.
Köktürk described the Union’s stance as a “thoroughly shabby game” that paints basic‑income recipients as lazy and unwilling to work. She said that, in spite of fierce criticism from those affected, unions, social associations, advocacy groups, and even the staff councils of job centres, the government intends to push ahead with its plan and will increasingly pressure recipients.
“Cutting or tightening benefits will create more fear for all workers, single parents, and sick people” she added. “If basic social security fails to cover expenses, it means more distress, hunger, and uncertainty”. Köktürk concluded that politicians must “catch people, not let them fall”. We cannot allow poverty to become normal, she said-this reform affects us all.
