Parents of young children still have to wait for a decision on continued payment of wages in the corona crisis – but social minister hubertus heil wants to campaign for a follow-up regulation.
Until now, the entitlement for parents who have to care for their children and cannot work due to closed daycare centers and schools only applies for six weeks per parent. "I am firmly convinced that we must make a new start in order to find a new regulation for the transition," the SPD politician said on friday in the bundesrat (upper house of parliament). This was also the subject of a discussion between union and employer representatives and chancellor angela merkel (CDU) on monday.
A spokeswoman for the federal ministry of social affairs told the "neue osnabrucker zeitung" (friday): "in view of the increased opening of schools and kindergartens, there will be no extension of the regulation as things stand today". This caused a lot of criticism.
Parents had been drinking for 30. March for six weeks, a claim to receive 67 percent of the lost net income from the state – up to a limit of 2016 euros per month. For some, the payments were now exhausted.
A spokesman for the ministry of social affairs pointed out on friday that parents had a total of twelve weeks of entitlement, since it applied to both of them. For a follow-up regulation, the federal government and the states had to come to an agreement, and the federal government was talking about it. At present, schools are gradually reopening, the so-called emergency care for small children is being expanded so that, for example, single parents can have their children looked after. The opening of schools and daycare centers is a matter for the state.
Family minister franziska giffey (SPD) said how a follow-up regulation could be designed depended on the further opening of care, on which the federal government and the states had to come to a quick understanding. Parents had to be indemnified if they were still unable to go to work due to the lack of childcare options.
The union IG metall used the international day of the family, which was celebrated on friday, as an opportunity to call for more support for working parents and carers. "Emergency care in daycare centers and schools is still not enough," said christiane benner from the executive board of the IG metall trade union. "Working parents and caregivers have been at or beyond the breaking point for weeks now. There needs to be a follow-up regulation for the continuation of wage payments for the entire duration of the school and day-care center vacations, the compensation needs to increase from 67 to 80 percent of the net income and the cap needs to be abolished.