The escalating debate surrounding employee sick leave in Germany has intensified, with the nation’s statutory health insurance physicians (Kassenärztliche Bundesvereinigung – KBV) lending staunch support to CDU leader Friedrich Merz’s criticisms. Merz recently ignited controversy during a campaign appearance in Baden-Württemberg, asserting that the average number of sick days – reportedly 14.5 – is excessively high, a claim the KBV’s chairman, Andreas Gassen, has now emphatically endorsed.
Gassen, in an interview with “Tagesspiegel”, stated that Merz’s concerns are “completely right”, directly addressing the rise of telephone-issued sick notes, which he believes are rife with potential for abuse. “It’s impossible to reliably assess whether someone is genuinely incapacitated for work or not during a phone call” he argued, echoing Merz’s core concern.
The controversy extends to the relatively new system of electronic sick notes, which former Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD) has fiercely defended against Merz’s questioning. Lauterbach accused Merz of attempting to “control the sick” while simultaneously warning of the potential overload placed on general practitioners should telephone sick notes be eliminated. He expressed trepidation about the consequential impact on an already strained primary care system.
However, Gassen dismissed Lauterbach’s critique, reinforcing the KBV’s desire to see the telephone-based sick note system abolished and the obligation for physicians to issue sick notes during the initial three days of illness removed. This, he argues, would drastically reduce abuse and alleviate pressure on medical practices. According to the KBV, these minor sick notes currently generate approximately 27 million unnecessary doctor-patient interactions annually.
Rather than a simple retraction of telephone sick notes, Gassen is advocating for a comprehensive overhaul. His proposal centers on incorporating a contractual element into employment agreements regarding the first three days of illness – a practice common across many other developed nations. He suggests the implementation of “waiting days” or bonus schemes. While stressing the importance of continued wage compensation for genuinely ill patients, he insists the current system, open to misuse for minor ailments, requires fundamental change. The proposed reforms pose a significant challenge to established labor practices and could spark considerable political resistance, particularly from labor unions who champion employee protections and potentially impact the social safety net.
