Felix Banaszak, leader of The Greens, strongly criticized the planned requirement for a sick note starting on the first day of illness, labeling the policy “nonsense.” Speaking to the Sunday edition of the “Tagesspiegel”, Banaszak argued that the proposal would treat employees as suspects by default, overload doctors, and increase the costs of the healthcare system, suggesting it was a flawed idea from the beginning.
In addition to criticizing the content, the Greens leader expressed frustration with the current black-and-red federal government for sending mixed signals. Despite the Bundestag faction of his party agreeing with the Union on Friday, Bärbel Bas, the SPD chairwoman and Federal Minister of Labour, announced on Saturday that she intended to review the mandatory day-one sick note requirement. Banaszak described this internal contradiction as a “cacophony within the government,” stating he could not understand how they had appeared unified only to have the Minister of Labour change her stance a day later. While acknowledging that Bas’s substance was correct, Banaszak insisted the proposal should never have been introduced. He suggested this episode highlighted a broader issue: the risk of making poorly conceived agreements during late-night sessions that subsequently undermine society without practical justification.
Criticism echoed from The Left party, with Luigi Pantisano, the party leader, stating to the “Tagesspiegel” that the requirement for a sick note from day one amounts to a fundamental lack of trust in employees. He raised concerns that sick people would have to endure the hassle of going to doctor’s offices, doctors would become bogged down in bureaucracy, and single parents would face extreme difficulties.
Pantisano also found the government’s communication confusing, adding that he wished the SPD wouldn’t silently support the “social cruelties of the Merz agenda.” However, Pantisano acknowledged that the political shift among some SPD members was likely influenced by the public opposition their own plans had generated, announcing that The Left would continue its social protests to create maximum resistance.
