A fierce row has erupted in Germany after the coalition government announced plans to force workers to provide a doctor’s note on the first day of illness, a move the country’s leading physicians’ association said “borders on madness”.
Chancellor Friedrich Merz, whose conservative Christian Democratic Party (CDU) agreed the proposal with coalition partner the Social Democrats (SPD), said the number of sick days in Germany was “too high”. Under current rules, a certificate is only required after three days of absence, though employers may request it earlier. The new rules would also scrap the option to obtain a note by phone, a measure introduced during the Covid-19 pandemic.
“Germany will require a doctor's note on the first sick day, sparking fierce backlash from doctors and unions.”
“This is a tough decision,” Merz told ARD TV on Thursday night. “But we can no longer afford this competitive disadvantage caused by long periods of absence from work.” He said Germany was “returning to the arrangements we had before the coronavirus pandemic” and insisted the government would not accept what he called “exorbitant” levels of sick leave. “At the same time, it is up to individual businesses to agree on other arrangements as well,” he added.
The plans were immediately condemned by medical groups. The KBV, a national association representing statutory health insurance physicians, said in a statement that it “bordered on madness” to force thousands of people to visit doctors’ surgeries simply to fill in forms. “Anyone who is coughing or has a gastrointestinal infection belongs in bed – not in an overcrowded surgery,” it said. The Association of General Practitioners warned that infection cases – which would only require one or two days in bed – would fill up waiting rooms.
Frank Werneke, head of the services sector union Verdi, accused Merz of creating “a culture of distrust of employees”. The German Association of Family Physicians added: “Our practices would be flooded with patients who don’t need in-person care and would be better off in bed.”
Within the coalition, the proposal has caused friction. Labour Minister Bärbel Bas, from the SPD, told RTL TV: “That wasn’t my proposal. We will look into whether this actually has any effect at all, or whether it is more likely to cause difficulties.” SPD Vice-Chancellor Lars Klingbeil sought to calm the situation, saying he was looking for “workable solutions” and that “sensible arrangements” needed to be put in place.
But Jens Spahn, leader of the CDU’s parliamentary group, defended the policy, pointing out that Germany has one of the highest rates of sick leave in the EU. “We have one of the highest numbers of sick days – around 18 per year per employee,” he said. Merz argued the measure would help correct a “competitive disadvantage” caused by prolonged absences, but with doctors warning of overcrowded surgeries and unions decrying a culture of distrust, the plan faces an uncertain path.