Bas against sick leave from day one: Coalition compromise wobbles

In addition to the sick note from the first day of illness, the paper contains further social and labor market policy projects. Details had been disputed between the coalition partners in recent weeks.

Bas is not alone within her own party on this. Matthias Miersach had also recently pushed for the citizens' insurance to be included in the reform agenda, according to coalition circles.

Criticism from business

Business representatives also view the initiative critically. The employer-affiliated Institute of the German Economy (IW) had warned in a statement of additional burdens on companies should the regulation come into force without sufficient transition periods.

However, the current draft already provides for an exception: companies that have deviating regulations through collective agreements are to be able to be exempted from the obligation to provide a sick note immediately.

Reactions from the coalition

The reaction from the Union was restrained. Union parliamentary group circles pointed out that the compromise was the result of a multi-hour negotiating marathon and now had to be implemented together with the SPD.

The Federal Ministry of Labor said it would review Bas's amended proposal and hold talks with both coalition partners in the coming days. A spokesperson emphasized that the goal remained a swift reform by the end of the year.

Bas responded to criticism from her own ranks by noting that she had always supported the compromise but did not want to rule out "pragmatic fine-tuning." A revised version is to be presented at the next meeting of the coalition committee.

Outlook for the coming weeks

Observers see the initiative as an attempt by the SPD to still exert influence on the details before parliamentary implementation. The coming weeks are considered decisive for whether the reform will proceed in its current form or be renegotiated.

It remains unclear how the SPD's grassroots base will react to the course change. The party executive board is meeting for a retreat at the beginning of September, at which labor market policy is also expected to play a central role.