Pascal Meiser, the parliamentary spokesperson for the Left faction in the Bundestag, has sharply criticized the lack of adequate health insurance protection for foreign seasonal workers in German agriculture. Speaking to “Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland” Meiser noted that approximately 50,000 foreign nationals work on German farms and fields every summer. He specified that roughly 40,000 of these workers are covered by private instead of statutory insurance, usually through private group contracts which provide substantially weaker protection.
Meiser addressed the answers provided by the federal government and the Knappschaft-Bahn-See, labeling the situation “disgraceful”. He stated that it remains shameful that tens of thousands of people continue to toil in the German agricultural sector without proper health insurance. In the event of illness, workers are either insufficiently supplied with medical care or left grappling with high out-of-pocket costs.
Demanding full statutory health insurance coverage for every worker in Germany, Meiser emphasized that Germany’s key agricultural products, such as asparagus, fruit, and wine, should not continue to rely on a second-class labor market. He stressed that outdoor labor, particularly in the extreme heat, poses significant health risks.
Furthermore, the politician accused the CDU/CSU and the SPD of exacerbating the problem rather than solving it. According to Meiser, these parties have actually extended the period during which seasonal workers lack full social security. He concluded by asserting that this failure demonstrates a profound lack of social-democratic vision within the federal government, one that genuinely guarantees protection and respect for all hardworking people in the country.
