The disagreement continues within the ruling coalition in Germany, composed of the conservative Christian Democratic Alliance and the Social Democratic Party, regarding sick leave certificates issued over the phone. While the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), led by Chancellor Friedrich Merz, called for its abolition at its recent party conference, the parliamentary group leader of the Social Democratic Party, Dirk Wiese, insists on keeping it. Wiese stated in an interview with the German newspaper 'Bild': 'Sick leave by phone is extremely beneficial as it eases the burden on clinics and prevents further infections in waiting rooms'. The rationale submitted at the CDU conference argued that the easier it is to obtain a certificate of incapacity for work, the higher the likelihood of what is known as a 'bedside decision' in the form of a sick note. Meritz had previously criticized phone-in sick leave, pointing to an excessive rise in absenteeism rates. In contrast, Wiese pointed out that the ruling coalition agreement stipulates measures against 'electronic sick leaves that are abused', stating: 'As a coalition, we should focus on that now instead of doubting useful rules,' adding that patients should not be placed under general suspicion. The results of a study conducted by the German pharmaceutical association 'VFA' revealed that the German economy is suffering losses of billions of euros due to repeated cases of worker absenteeism.
