Federal Minister of the Chancellor’s Office, Thorsten Frei (CDU), defended the planned reinstatement of the requirement to report sickness starting from the first day of illness. He pointed to what he described as unusual concentrations of missed working days occurring at the start of the week and on weekends.
Speaking on Friday to RTL and ntv, Frei stated that his initial assumption is that anyone absent from work is indeed sick. However, he added that it is also a fact that the number of sick days in Germany is roughly double that of France and has risen massively in recent years. He stressed that therefore, it is essential that these absences are certified by doctors who are familiar with the patients.
When asked if he had any estimations or calculations regarding how many people who were not medically ill stayed at home and resulted in loss of productive labor, Frei declined to speculate, asserting that such speculation would not serve the cause. Instead, he reiterated his observation: “The fact is that we have particularly many sick days at the start of the week and over the weekend. I cannot medically explain that.”
Frei also dismissed warnings from general practitioners regarding overcrowded practices, assuring the public that the situation is one that “general practitioners have managed very well in the past.” Furthermore, he assured that there is always the opportunity for adjustments if problems arise.
Concluding on the implementation, Frei suggested that the plans now need to be put into place legislatively, requiring the finding of a pragmatic solution. He noted that considerable flexibility exists for collective partners and companies in many sectors. His core message remains that for sick employees, the absence must be certified by a doctor, a requirement he believes is not excessive.
