Germans will have to get a sick note from a doctor for the very first day they call off sick from work under strict proposals from Friedrich Merz.
The tough new rules have been proposed by Chancellor Friedrich Merz to boost the economy. Workers currently only need a note from their third day of sick leave.
Mr Merz said: ‘The number of sick days is too high. We are creating a set of tools that will enable those involved, both employees and companies, to correct this.
‘We know this is a tough decision. But we can no longer afford the competitive disadvantage caused by prolonged absences from work.’
Germans, on average, take about three weeks, or 15 working days, of sick leave per year.
Frank Werneke, the head of the services sector union Verdi, accused Mr Merz of creating ‘a culture of distrust of employees’.
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Doctors also warned it would swamp Germany’s GPs with unnecessary appointments.
The German Association of Family Physicians said: ‘Our practices would be flooded with patients who don’t need in-person care and would be better off in bed.’
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