Overview

• Ulli Schäfer (CDU), the district administrator of Greiz, submitted a legislative draft to the Federal Labour Ministry proposing specific changes to SGB II.
• The text would require employable recipients to participate in Jobcenter‑assigned community work, converting previously voluntary ‘Arbeitsgelegenheiten’ into a duty.
• Refusal without a documented good reason would be defined as a breach of duty, enabling benefit reductions or termination according to the reported draft language.
• Assignments could be open‑ended with mandatory reviews at intervals of no more than six months, ending when regular employment begins and allowing approved switches to training or other measures.
• Schäfer cites outcomes from Greiz’s asylum work program to justify the approach, and federal consideration along with potential political and legal responses has yet to occur.