Get you up to speed: Germany bans staff members from calling in sick without doctors’ note | News World
Chancellor Friedrich Merz has proposed new regulations requiring German workers to obtain a sick note from a doctor for the first day of absence, a change from the current requirement after the third day. The German Association of Family Physicians has warned that this could overwhelm general practitioners with unnecessary appointments.
Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s proposal, which would require workers to obtain a sick note from a doctor from the first day of absence, aims to tackle the high number of sick days taken annually in Germany. The German Association of Family Physicians has expressed concern that the changes could overwhelm general practitioners with unnecessary appointments.
Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s proposal to require sick notes from the first day of illness has drawn criticism, with Frank Werneke of the Verdi union accusing the government of fostering “a culture of distrust of employees.” Additionally, the German Association of Family Physicians has warned that this measure could overwhelm general practitioners with unnecessary consultations.
What remains unclear — It is not specified how the proposed sick note requirement will affect the workload of general practitioners in Germany.
Germany requires doctor’s note for first day of sick leave under new rules
The tough new rules have been proposed by Chancellor Friedrich Merz to boost the economy (Picture: Latkun/imageBROKER/Shutterstock)
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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