German politicians wrangle over repatriating jobless Ukrainians

A senior member of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz's Social Democratic Party (SPD) has rejected a proposal from the Bavarian-based Christian Social Union (CSU) that unemployed Ukrainian war refugees should be sent home, reported dpa.

Speaking to the Monday edition of the Augsburger Allgemeine newspaper in comments seen in advance by dpa, SPD chair Saskia Esken came out against a proposal from Alexander Dobrindt, who heads the conservative CSU group in the federal parliament in Berlin.

Noting that many of the refugees were women with children, Esken highlighted the lack of childcare facilities. "I'm sure that the CSU could help more in Bavaria," she said.

"The government's task is not to implement proposals on the backs of Ukrainian refugees, but to ensure that a functioning social infrastructure exists for all people wanting to live securely in our country," Esken said.

Speaking to the Sunday edition of the mass circulation Bild tabloid, Dobrindt had said: "The following should apply more than two years after the start of the war: Get a job in Germany or return to secure regions in western Ukraine."

SPD labour market spokesman Martin Rosemann told Bild: "The hurdles for Ukrainian refugees in entering the labour force are down to the lack of childcare, lack of language skills and drawn-out recognition of professional qualifications."

Germany has taken in thousands of Ukrainian refugees since the start of the war in February 2022, most of them women, children and the elderly, as Ukraine prevents men of military age from leaving.