The Alliance parties' proposal, presented on Wednesday morning, includes, among other things, that social benefits will be tightened for large families. For parents with four children or more, it may mean several thousand kronor less in their pocket every month.
The purpose is to increase the motivation to work – and a job premium will be introduced from 2026.
The Save the Children organization is concerned that the proposal will mean that children's rights are not prioritized.
Much criticism
We believe that this proposal contravenes the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Sweden has a clear responsibility to ensure that all children have the right standard of living. This proposal means that children are punished for how many siblings they have, what choices their parents make, or what conditions their parents have, says Erik Ulnes, an advisor to Save the Children.
According to Ulnes, the Alliance parties' proposal risks increasing child poverty. The opposition is also critical.
I doubt that making families with children poorer is the way forward for Sweden, says Socialdemokraternas spokesperson Anders Ygeman.
Ygeman is, however, positive that the government has "abandoned the worst proposals" and that they want to introduce an activity requirement. He also sees advantages with a job premium but questions whether it is sufficient to get people into work.
Centerpartiet's Martin Ådahl is on the same track. But introducing a benefit cap for a few thousand people "is obviously not the solution”.
Miljöpartiet and Vänsterpartiet react even more strongly and call the benefit cap remarkable and dreadful.
This is not a benefit reform but a poverty reform, says MP's spokesperson Janine Alm Ericson.
Risk of threats
Akademikerförbundet SSR also joins the group that is critical. Chairman Heike Erkers tells TT that the proposal risks increasing the threats against social services.
Vulnerable people go to social services believing they will get help to manage their daily lives, and then it turns out the opposite, that they do not get help. This leads to frustration, and some will take it out on the official they meet.
Sveriges stadsmissioner shares the government's view that exclusion in Sweden is significant – but believes that the problem should be solved in a different way.
The most important focus should be on ensuring that everyone has a good level of education so that they can be matched to the jobs that exist. It's about increasing, for example, language skills and reducing the discrimination that exists in the labor market, says Secretary General Jonas Rydberg.
