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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”
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.
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.
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”
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.
