Activity requirements for the right to subsistence support

The plan's overarching commitment is that children, sick people and the unemployed should have the same right to good lives as working people, and it explicitly rejects the idea that people are lazy and need to be pressed to be useful. Giving the social services greater opportunities to condition subsistence support with demands for active measures is built precisely on the worldview the plan opposes. The election manifesto instead demands an end to the disqualification of sick people.

• rejects conditional welfaredecisive»Högerns idé är att invandrade, sjuka och arbetslösa är lata och om vi får det sämre så tvingas vi prestera bättre.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The Right's idea is that immigrants, sick people and the unemployed are lazy and if we get it worse we will be forced to perform better.”
• unconditional right to security»Barn, sjuka och arbetslösa måste självklart ha samma rätt som arbetande människor att ha goda liv.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Children, sick people and the unemployed must of course have the same right as working people to have good lives.”
• rejects judgmental worldview»människor är lata, själviska och behöver pressas att göra nytta.« (party programme ↗)“people are lazy, selfish and need to be pressed to be useful.”
• humane security systems»Vänsterpartiet vill se en mänsklig sjukförsäkring och ett slut på utförsäkrandet av sjuka.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The Left Party wants to see a humane sickness insurance and an end to the disqualification of sick people.”

The plan explicitly requires that requirements for activity be set for receiving subsistence support, so that no one gets stuck in passivity, and that all who can work shall work. Giving social services greater opportunities to demand active rehabilitative measures is precisely such a tightening. The plan also rests on welfare providing rights but also setting requirements.

• activity requirements for subsistence supportdecisive»För att ingen ska fastna i passivitet behöver det ställas krav på aktivitet för att få försörjningsstöd.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“For no one to get stuck in passivity, requirements for activity must be set for receiving subsistence support.”
• work line applies to all»Alla som kan jobba ska jobba och bidra för att bli en del av samhället.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“All who can work shall work and contribute to be part of society.”
• right and duty to work»Varje människa har rätt och skyldighet att efter förmåga delta i arbetslivet.« (party programme ↗)“Every person has the right and duty to participate in working life according to ability.”
• welfare with requirements»Den ger rättigheter, men ställer också krav.« (party programme ↗)“It gives rights, but also sets requirements.”

The stance rests on the quoted commitment in the party's own documents; the actual vote deviated. Click the quote to verify it in the document.

The plan's vision is that everyone who lacks income shall be guaranteed support that is liveable, regardless of the reason for the lack of income, and that needs assessments shall not become violations of integrity. Society shall actively support rehabilitation and education, but as offered support – not as a condition for receiving support at all. To give social services greater opportunity to require active measures as a condition for support therefore goes against the plan.

• guaranteed liveable supportdecisive»saknar inkomst ska vara garanterade ett stöd som« (party programme ↗)“lack income shall be guaranteed support that”
• non-integrity-violating assessment»Det är viktigt att behovsprövningar inte blir« (party programme ↗)“It is important that needs assessments do not become”
• rehabilitation as support»genom åtgärder för rehabilitering och utbildning.« (party programme ↗)“through measures for rehabilitation and education.”

The election manifesto states that the work-first approach must be protected and that those who can work should not live on taxpayers' money, and that less money should go to benefits. The plan moreover wants to improve rehabilitation and characterizes measures with high expectations and demands on individuals. That social services get greater opportunity to require active rehabilitative measures for income support follows directly from these commitments.

• protected work-first approachdecisive»Arbetslinjen måste värnas, och den som kan jobba ska inte leva på skattebetalarnas pengar.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The work-first approach must be protected, and those who can work should not live on taxpayers' money.”
• less benefits more welfare»Politiken ska hushålla med skattebetalarnas pengar. Mer pengar ska läggas på välfärdens kärna, mindre på bidrag.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Policy should be economical with taxpayers' money. More money should be spent on welfare's core, less on benefits.”
• better rehabilitation»Vi vill förbättra rehabiliteringen och göra sjukskrivningen mer flexibel.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“We want to improve rehabilitation and make sickness leave more flexible.”
• high expectations and demands»Integrationsinsatser ska präglas av hårt arbete och höga förväntningar.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Integration initiatives shall be characterized by hard work and high expectations.”

The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.

The election manifesto requires a new daily allowance for work-capable persons with a clear requirement for reciprocal effort, and the party programme that maintenance allowance shall lead back to self-support where demands on the individual are combined with measures. The counter-proposal's demand that social services be able to require active rehabilitative measures to grant maintenance allowance is exactly this. The plan also speaks of reduced maintenance allowance for those who refrain from learning Swedish.

• requirement for reciprocal effortdecisive»Vi vill införa en ny dagersättning för arbetsföra personer med ett tydligt krav på motprestation i form av anvisat arbete, språkutbildning eller annan kompetenshöjande verksamhet.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“We want to introduce a new daily allowance for work-capable persons with a clear requirement for reciprocal effort in the form of assigned work, language training or other skills development activities.”
• maintenance allowance toward self-support»Försörjningsstöd ska syfta till att hjälpa individer tillbaka till självförsörjning. Krav på individen« (party programme ↗)“Maintenance allowance shall aim to help individuals back to self-support. Demands on the individual”
• clear activity requirements»tydliga krav på den enskilde att genomgå praktik, utbildning eller att söka arbete« (party programme ↗)“clear demands on the individual to undertake internship, training or to seek work”
• penalty for failure to fulfill reciprocal obligation»Den som låter bli att lära sig svenska i normalfallet kunna få sitt försörjningsstöd nedsatt.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The person who refrains from learning Swedish can normally have their maintenance allowance reduced.”

The stance rests on the quoted commitment in the party's own documents; the actual vote deviated. Click the quote to verify it in the document.

The party programme makes self-sufficiency the goal of social policy and requires that benefit systems be designed so that benefit dependency is countered and that compensation levels stimulate individuals to participate in measures against ill-health and for return to working life. Giving social services greater opportunity to require active rehabilitative measures follows from this. The programme's emphasis on voluntariness in care qualifies but does not override the conclusion.

• self-sufficiency as a goaldecisive»Målet för socialpolitiken är att stödja gemenskaperna och de enskilda människorna till egen försörjning« (party programme ↗)“The goal of social policy is to support communities and individual people towards self-sufficiency”
• counter benefit dependency»uppmuntras, och att bidragsberoende motverkas.« (party programme ↗)“encouraged, and that benefit dependency is countered.”
• compensation that stimulates participation»Nivåerna på ersättningarna ska utformas så att den enskilde stimuleras att delta i åtgärder« (party programme ↗)“The levels of compensation must be designed so that individuals are stimulated to participate in measures”
• voluntariness in care»Den ska i första hand bygga på frivillighet.« (party programme ↗)“It should primarily be based on voluntariness.”

The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.

The plan explicitly requires full-time activity from those living on maintenance support and that benefits shall be conditional on full-time activities. The counter-proposal's requirement that social services shall be able to demand active rehabilitative measures to grant maintenance support is precisely the arrangement the plan calls for. The party programme states that public welfare must never be without conditions.

• full-time activity for maintenance supportdecisive»Kräva aktivitet på heltid av den som lever på försörjningsstöd« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Require full-time activity from those living on maintenance support”
• activity requirements for benefits»Ställa krav på heltidsaktiviteter för att få bidrag« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Place requirements for full-time activities to receive benefits”
• socially useful services»Möjliggöra samhällsnyttiga insatser för den som lever på bidrag« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Enable socially useful services for those living on benefits”
• welfare with conditions»Den offentliga välfärden får aldrig vara kravlös.« (party programme ↗)“Public welfare must never be without conditions.”

The stance rests on the quoted commitment in the party's own documents; the actual vote deviated. Click the quote to verify it in the document.

The plan explicitly requires that work be a condition for those supported through municipal welfare assistance and that the right to welfare be linked to the individual's own will and effort. The counter-proposal's requirement that social services be able to demand active measures from the individual to grant welfare assistance is the same kind of conditioning. The plan therefore supports the counter-proposal.

• activity requirement for welfare assistancedecisive»Arbetsplikt ska också bli ett villkor för personer som idag blir försörjda genom det kommunala försörjningsstödet.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Work requirement shall also become a condition for people who today are supported through municipal welfare assistance.”
• work requirement for benefits»Inför arbetsplikt för bidrag« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Introduce work requirement for benefits”
• conditioned welfare»Rättigheten till välfärd och sociala förmåner hänger samman med individens vilja och ansträngning att göra rätt för sig.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The right to welfare and social benefits is linked to the individual's will and effort to do right.”
• raised demands on the individual»Öka kraven på icke integrerade att göra sig anställningsbara« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Increase demands on non-integrated persons to make themselves employable”