BSW on work and social affairs

The BSW wants to prevent rising prices from gradually eroding real wages. Wages would be protected by an automatic adjustment for inflation, and the state government is to push for this at the federal level.

When prices rise, wages are worth less. The BSW wants to prevent that. Wages should rise automatically along with prices. The state should push for this at the federal level.

The program's stated goal is to protect real wages through automatic inflation adjustment and thereby preserve purchasing power. The federal level would be responsible: the state government is to work toward suitable legislation there. The program places the demand in the context of a changing world of work shaped by automation, digitalization, artificial intelligence and decarbonization.

The BSW wants public contracts and subsidies to go only to companies bound by collective wage agreements. Works councils and unions should be involved in major decisions, and the right to strike should remain untouched.

The BSW wants the state to hire only companies with a collective wage agreement. Only such companies should get public funding too. Works councils should have a say in big decisions. The right to strike should stay as it is.

The program regards collective bargaining coverage as a key tool for social justice and fair competition. Works councils and unions are to be involved in decisions on investment, locations and the restructuring of companies. Anyone who obstructs co-determination should be penalized consistently. In addition, the program wants to protect childcare as a locational advantage from cuts and secure affordable services for family caregivers so that work and care can be combined.

The BSW calls for a statutory minimum wage of 15 euros per hour without exceptions. Companies that receive state subsidies or carry out public contracts are to be required to pay at least collectively agreed wages.

The minimum wage should rise to 15 euros per hour. There should be no exceptions. Companies with government contracts should pay union-scale wages. Women and men should earn the same for the same work.

With the higher minimum wage, the BSW wants Saxony-Anhalt to stop being seen as a low-wage state. Existing special rules are to be dropped. Women are to earn the same as men for equal work. Paying collectively agreed wages is to be a condition for public subsidies and contracts. The program argues that full-time work must be enough to live on and that low wages endanger structurally weak regions.

The BSW wants a single pension, long-term care and health insurance system into which everyone pays contributions. The state government is to push for this at the federal level.

Everyone should pay into the same insurance. This applies to pensions, care and health. It is called a citizens' insurance. The state should push the federal government for it.

According to the program, the solidarity-based Bürgerversicherung (citizens' insurance) is meant to fight old-age poverty, keep care affordable and strengthen social cohesion. The BSW sees social security as a condition for economic stability and for people's willingness to change jobs. Since the decision lies with the federal government, Saxony-Anhalt is to press for it there.

The BSW wants to implement the disability participation law consistently in Saxony-Anhalt and to work permanently with associations and self-advocacy groups. Businesses should get practical help to employ people with disabilities in regular jobs.

People with disabilities should be able to take part in life more fully. They should find regular work more easily. Businesses should get advice and help for this. The state should work steadily with associations. A law on this should be fully applied.

The program says the law has not yet been consistently implemented in the state. Instead of one-off projects, there should be reliable cooperation with clubs, associations and self-advocacy groups. Companies should not opt out through compensation payments but receive advice and support, for example with workplace design, finding housing or child care. Social assistance agencies and municipalities should take an active part and relieve businesses.

The BSW wants to relieve the heavily burdened social courts and shorten proceedings. To that end, it wants to examine whether a mediation office could settle disputes before they go to court.

The social courts have very many cases. The BSW wants to ease their load. A mediation office could settle disputes before court. This should first be examined and tested.

The program points to many disputes over basic income support, pensions, care and other social benefits that lead to long proceedings. A mediation office is meant to resolve conflicts early and out of court and make processes faster and clearer for citizens. Participation is to be voluntary, and the introduction is to be closely coordinated with the social courts. A pilot model is to show whether the courts are in fact relieved and legal protection improves.

The BSW wants people to receive social benefits faster and with less red tape. Social welfare offices are to get more staff and cooperate under binding rules. The platform points to processing times of many months, especially for long-term care assistance.

Many people need money from the state. They often wait many months for an answer. The BSW wants this to go faster. The offices should get more staff. They should also work together better.

The platform describes long processing times, reduced office and phone hours, and staff shortages in social welfare offices. It says older people with small pensions who need basic income support, housing benefit, or care assistance are hit hardest. Job centers, social welfare offices, youth welfare offices, and housing benefit offices are to sign binding cooperation agreements covering responsibilities, procedures, and information sharing. This is meant to avoid duplicate proceedings and reduce the workload for municipalities. The BSW also lists fighting poverty among the elderly and children as goals.

The BSW calls for a pilot project to create a supra-local social assistance agency that would decide cases faster and more consistently. It would be paired with a digital tool for allocating places in residential and nursing homes. Local care offices and independent advice centers are also to be set up.

The BSW wants to test a new office for social assistance. This office would serve several places at once. It should decide requests faster and in the same way everywhere. An online tool should help families find a place in a care home. There should also be advice and care offices nearby.

The model is the Kommunaler Sozialverband Sachsen (Saxony's municipal social association). The state government is to push for such an agency in order to shorten processing times and grant help quickly. The platform sees gaps in help for the homeless, integration assistance for people with disabilities, and care, and calls for suitable housing for people with dementia. Expansion is to be steered centrally based on local need. The allocation tool is meant to support relatives searching for a place and also cover help at home.

The BSW wants independent social counseling available throughout the state, with application processing bundled centrally and linked to it. Authorities should only ask for data needed for the benefit in question. The platform says many people are overwhelmed by the applications.

The BSW wants advice on social benefits in every area. The advice should be independent. Offices should ask for fewer forms. They should only ask for data they really need. Many people cannot manage the applications alone today.

Applicants would still have to provide information, but only what is actually required for the benefit. The BSW is critical of repeated proof of shared custody arrangements, certificates from landlords or housemates, and multiple proofs of identity. The same applies to constant renewal applications when circumstances have not changed, for example for people with severe disabilities. According to the platform, some young people end up with a court-appointed legal guardian early on because they are overwhelmed, while flat-rate pay makes the guardian profession less attractive.