Home>News Center>World
         
 

Protesters clash with police amid cutbacks
(Agencies)
Updated: 2005-01-03 22:22

BERLIN - Several hundred protesters clashed with police at a Berlin unemployment office Monday as a sharp cutback in jobless benefits took effect in a government effort to push people to find work.

Police in riot helmets used pepper spray as they blocked protesters from entering the office in Wedding, a working-class neighborhood with high unemployment, and made several arrests.

Scattered protests in Nuremberg, Munich, Leipzig and Stuttgart drew only a few dozen people each and didn't match the mass marches of tens of thousands in August and September against Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder's labor market reforms.

The new law, dubbed Hartz IV after Volkswagen executive Peter Hartz who headed the commission that drew up the reforms, is part of Schroeder's attempt to shake up the country's generous welfare state benefit system and spur more economic growth.

After people use up their basic jobless benefits — whose duration varies — their payments drop to 345 euros ($465) a month in western Germany and 331 euros ($408) in the east, plus rent and heating allowances. Previously, people could receive more than half of their last net salary.

In addition, those getting the reduced aid may be forced to take part in government make-work projects for one euro an hour if they don't get another job.

The idea is to provide an incentive to get off unemployment.

But, with the jobless rate higher than 10 percent, many unemployed fear there won't be work to find, and Schroeder's initiative has drawn critics from within his own Social Democratic party.

Still, Klaus Brandner, spokesman on labor issues for the Social Democrats in parliament, called the launch of the changes "a good day for our country."

He cautioned, however, that more changes could be in store if the new law doesn't work. "If it turns out it isn't efficient, it will be changed as soon as possible," he said on ZDF public television.

Conservative opposition politician Roland Koch warned that only an upturn in economic growth could create more jobs for people to take.

"The chancellor has left the impression that Hartz IV will create jobs," said Koch, the governor of the state of Hesse in the southwest. "The reform, by itself, won't create any new positions."



 
  Today's Top News     Top World News
 

88 laws, regulations take effect on New Year's Day

 

   
 

Premier Wen to join tsunami summit

 

   
 

Death toll reaches 95,000 in Indonesia

 

   
 

Beijing plans charter flights across Straits

 

   
 

Forty percent of workers work as freelancers

 

   
 

Canada confirms second case of mad cow

 

   
  Eight days on, ailing tsunami survivors await aid
   
  Five Iraqi police killed by bombers, gunmen
   
  Death toll reaches 95,000 in Indonesia
   
  Canada confirms second case of mad cow
   
  Japan princess comes back to official duties
   
  Full extent of Indonesia disaster slowly revealed
   
 
  Go to Another Section  
 
 
  Story Tools  
   
  Related Stories  
   
Calling on the rich to help the poor
   
Jobless rate -- 4.3%, lower than expected
   
Unemployment rate lower than expected
   
Unforced unemployment a trend
   
China reports lower unemployment rate
   
Beijing moves to help jobless
   
New jobs in US surge 308,000, unemployment up
  News Talk  
  Are the Republicans exploiting the memory of 9/11?  
Advertisement
         
主站蜘蛛池模板: 女人与公拘交酡过程高清视频 | 男女性色大片免费网站| 国产婷婷色综合av蜜臀av| 91色资源网在线观看| 性猛交╳xxx乱大交| 久久久久久久久久福利| 最近2019中文字幕mv免费看| 亚洲欧洲专线一区| 爽爽爽爽爽爽爽成人免费观看| 农村乱人伦一区二区| 色偷偷8888欧美精品久久| 国产大片b站免费观看直播| 色噜噜狠狠一区二区| 国产精品免费_区二区三区观看| 999在线视频精品免费播放观看| 天天操天天干天天干| 一定要抓住电影在线观看完整版 | 久久综合九色综合网站| 欧美又大粗又爽又黄大片视频 | 日韩视频在线观看中字| 亚洲人成伊人成综合网久久| 欧美激情一区二区三区蜜桃视频| 亚洲综合第一区| 猫咪免费人成网站地址| 免费观看成人毛片| 精品日韩在线视频| 啊哈~在加了一根手指| 美女被免费看视频网站| 国产v亚洲v欧美v专区| 草莓视频未满十八岁| 国产亚洲美女精品久久久| 韩国高清在线观看| 国产在线视频网| 黄a大片av永久免费| 国产成人免费永久播放视频平台 | 亚洲a级成人片在线观看| 欧美另类xxxxx极品| 亚洲国产成人av网站| 欧美亚洲综合在线| 亚洲不卡av不卡一区二区| 欧美丰满熟妇xxxxx|