Friedrich Merz Ends Phone-In Sick Leave in Germany, Requires Doctor’s Certificate From Day One
Image: The Times of India

Friedrich Merz Ends Phone-In Sick Leave in Germany, Requires Doctor’s Certificate From Day One

03 July, 2026.Europe.14 sources

Germany bans phone-in sick notes; workers must present a doctor's certificate from day one. Part of a broader reform package to revive Germany's economy.

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Germany ends phone sick notes

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz announced a crackdown on sick leave that would end the ability to call in sick by telephone and require a medical certificate from the first day of illness.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz announced Thursday that workers can no longer call in sick by telephone

Human Resources DirectorHuman Resources Director

Reuters reported that workers can no longer call in sick by telephone and must get a medical certificate on day one of illness, as part of a 34-point package of pension, tax and labour reforms.

Image from BBC
BBCBBC

DW said the measure would mean that, from January next year, workers will no longer be able to get a sick note over the phone and must visit a doctor in person and on the first day of illness.

Merz framed the change as necessary because, “We can no longer afford this competitive disadvantage caused by long absences from work.”

Critics warn of distrust

The policy drew pushback from labour groups and physicians, with Frank Werneke of the services-sector union Verdi warning it would foster “a culture of distrust of employees.”

Doctors’ organizations objected that requiring in-person visits for minor illnesses would strain clinic capacity, and the German Association of Family Physicians called the measure “an absolute catastrophe,” saying clinics would be overwhelmed by patients who could recover at home.

Image from Capital.fr
Capital.frCapital.fr

The Independent said the reforms would make it more challenging for employees to claim sick leave by scrapping the right to get a sick note by telephone and requiring workers to “submit a medical certificate from the very first day of illness.”

Euronews reported that Merz told a press conference in Berlin after seven hours of talks that, “We are working to cut red tape.”

Broader reforms and stakes

The sick-leave crackdown is embedded in a wider package of reforms that Reuters described as a 34-point set of pension, tax and labour changes, including expanded scope for fixed-term contracts up to 48 months through 2030 and greater flexibility for dismissal-with-compensation arrangements for high earners.

The new requirement Under the change, employees will need to see a doctor and produce documentation from day one of illness

Human Resources DirectorHuman Resources Director

Euronews said the coalition agreed on 34 measures and that the tougher sick-leave rules would allow employers to ask for a doctor’s certificate from the first day of sick leave instead of permitting up to three days without seeing a doctor.

The Economic Times said the reforms are intended to ensure greater accountability and reduce workplace absenteeism, with employers able to request a doctor’s certificate from the first day of illness if they ask for documentation.

The stakes are also framed in economic terms, with Merz telling reporters, “We can no longer accept the extraordinarily high levels of sick leave in our companies,” as the government aims to move the package through parliament by year’s end.

Story read · 14 outlets · 2 disagreements · 4 facts unevenly covered

Coverage map

How each outlet frames it

Every outlet we compared, the headline it ran, and a link to the original article.

Western Mainstream

BBC
BBC

German row over plan for workers to need sick note on first day of illness

03 July, 2026

DW
DW

Sick leave: Germany rising but not the worst in Europe

03 July, 2026

Euronews
Euronews

Germany's Merz announces sweeping reforms in key breakthrough

02 July, 2026

Les Echos
Les Echos

Three weeks a year, 'is it really necessary?' : in Germany, Merz goes after sick leave and the debate heats up

03 July, 2026

New York Post
New York Post

Germans must now have doctor’s note to call in sick to work: ‘Extraordinarily high levels of sick leave’

02 July, 2026

The Economic Times
The Economic Times

Germany changes sick leave policy: 'We are abolishing sick leave by phone,' says Chancellor Merz; doctor's

03 July, 2026

The Independent
The Independent

German workers banned from taking sick leave without a medical note in tough reforms

02 July, 2026

Local Western

Capital.fr
Capital.fr

Sick leave: up to 20 days of absence per year per employee; France is not the only European country affected.

02 July, 2026

Gamereactor UK
Gamereactor UK

Germany takes a tough stance on absenteeism: No sick leave without a doctor's note on the first day

03 July, 2026

Gamereactor.fr
Gamereactor.fr

Germany takes a firm stance on absenteeism: no sick leave without a medical certificate from day one.

05 July, 2026

Other

Gamereactor
Gamereactor

La Germania assume una posizione dura sull'assenteismo: niente congedo per malattia senza certificato medico il primo giorno

05 July, 2026

Human Resources Director
Human Resources Director

Germany bans phone-in sick notes, requires same-day doctor's certificate

03 July, 2026

Western Alternative

Novara Media
Novara Media

German Workers Can’t Take a Single Sick Day Without a Doctors Note Now

02 July, 2026

Asian

The Times of India
The Times of India

Where's the doctor's note? Germany tightens workplace rules, no more sick leaves over call or text

03 July, 2026

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