Get a shave, bearded German MP tells jobless man

BERLIN, Dec 15 (Reuters) The leader of Germany's centre-left Social Democrat party told an unemployed man his chances of finding work would improve drastically if he got washed and had a shave.

Kurt Beck, the bearded leader of the SPD party which has traditionally stood for the interests of Germany's blue-collar workers, gave 37-year-old Henrico Frank the advice at an event in Wiesbaden late on Tuesday, the Bild newspaper said.

Frank, pictured in the newspaper with two nose rings, long, bleached hair and a black beard, approached Beck during a walkabout and held him responsible for controversial labour market reforms which cut benefits for the long-term unemployed.

''You are responsble for Hartz IV and I don't have a job,'' the paper reported Frank as saying.

''If you had a wash and shaved then you'd have a job in three weeks,'' Beck told the man.

Beck later offered to meet Frank again during his regular constituency visiting hours to give him tips for finding work.

German unemployment fell below the 4 million mark for the first time in over four years in November.

Reuters MQA VP1005