A recent report from February 2014 shows, that 25.000 full-timers receiving a social welfare allowance were being activated to work in companies that needed labour in 2012. The companies pay nothing, so in fact it is the company that receives the social welfare, not the person. This is about at least 9 billion DK, directly benefitting the companies.
The Danish Constitution says, that the State should do its best to provide work for their citizens so that everyone can have a job that is good for their wellbeing; if a person has no work, he has the right to receive financial aid from the State. This is logic; it is a consequence of economic laws, there are always more people able to work than there are jobs. But the Danish government interpretes the Constitution as if it is a persons duty instead, and to do any kind of work, under threat of withdrawing all financial help.
It not only cheates the people that are being activated in forced labour; it also creates problems for people who do have a job and want to change jobs, and for those living from seasonal temporary jobs. How can they compete? And it is seriously stealing money from all citizens, who pay almost the worlds highest tax to financience social allowances; it was never the idea to finance companies with it.
But the above isn’t even mentioned as a problem in the report. Instead, the report advises an even more active attitude for the State, and recommends a central database for companies where they can ‘pick’ their labour from, while the local authorities do the screening for them.
Two days ago, Martin Schulz, the president of the EU Commission, visited the Danish parliament. On the Danish parliaments website, it is mentioned they talked about ‘the problem of Polish illegal workers in Denmark’ and about ‘social benefits tourism’. Under cover of making a very small problem for the Danish State big, Danmark hides its ways, and the media are helping portraying the Danish welfare systems as wonderful; but in reality they belong to the worst in Europe. Forced labour and forced marriage in 2014…. how much longer does Danmark succeed in hiding those practices for the EU? And will the EU then have the courage to come and talk with Denmark about the real issues?
The report is being discussed on April 23 in Parliament. Normally, citizens can watch such discussions on TV, but for this discussion an exception was made; no TV.
A link to the 298 pages thick report – that has been made without any input from those on social allowances, contains a lot of philosophical speculations and does not address this serious principle and economical problem at all – can be found here (numbers mentioned are in tabel 3.2)