With his push for a so-called waiting day, Allianz boss Oliver Bäte is causing a stir. The National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians is now also reacting.
The head of Allianz Insurance Oliver Bäte demands no more wages on the first day of illness in an interview with the “Handelsblatt”. He justifies this with the high number of sick reports. On average, employees in this country are reported sick for 20 days per year, while the EU average is just eight days.
The leadership of the German Trade Union Confederation (DGB) has already rejected both demands. Anja Piel from the DGB board warned of an increasing tendency among employees in Germany to work despite illness. “’Presenteeism’, i.e. showing up at work when sick, is widespread across industries,” says Piel.
The head of the National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians, Andreas Gassen, is also skeptical about the initiative: In general, the question could be raised as to why there even needs to be a doctor’s sick note in the first few days of an illness, Gassen told t-online.
“It would be possible to have a regulation based on trust: Employees could register sick informally for the first three days of illness, and a medical certificate would only be required from the fourth day of illness onwards. That would really relieve the burden on practices.”
Whether continued payment of wages should be guaranteed on the first day or not is not a medical question, but a political one. “Even if the number of sick days may be high in international comparison, that doesn’t mean that Germans are automatically a nation of blue-collar workers, especially since the numbers in individual countries are not always comparable.”
“It’s clear: Anyone who is sick is sick,” Gassen continued. Anyone who would endanger themselves or others by going to work if they are sick should stay at home. Of course there are also employees who “go blue”. “But that’s not the rule – and you shouldn’t stir up a blanket culture of mistrust towards employees here.”