Czech Labor Ministry Backs Scrapping Pay for First Sick Days

Czech Labor and Social Affairs Minister Aleš Juchelka (ANO movement) has said he will support bringing back the so-called "karenční doba" — the first three days of sickness, during which employers are not required to pay wage compensation. A bill on the matter is being drafted by coalition party Motoristé sobě (Motorists), the minister revealed on the discussion program Poledne s Moravcem.

The waiting period was scrapped back in July 2019, when the then-ANO government under Andrej Babiš, together with the Social Democrats (ČSSD) and with support from the Communists, passed an amendment initiated by the Social Democrats. Restoring sick-pay compensation had been one of the ČSSD's key conditions for forming that minority cabinet with ANO at the time. The 2019 vote to abolish the waiting period was backed by ANO, the Pirates, the ČSSD, the Communists, and most Christian Democrats.

What the Motorists Are Proposing

According to Juchelka, Sports Minister Boris Šťastný, representing the Motorists, intends to bring forward a parliamentary bill to reinstate the waiting period. "I've read that he wants to put this forward as a private member's bill. We'll see what the draft actually looks like, but the idea itself isn't unreasonable," the minister said.

Juchelka explained that it is employers who are pushing to bring back the old system. According to Finance Ministry estimates, companies will spend between 8.5 and 9 billion crowns this year covering wage compensation for the first three sick days. The minister stressed that the measure would have no impact on the state budget. Among his arguments for scrapping the payments, he also pointed out that only three-quarters of prescriptions issued by GPs actually get filled at pharmacies.

A Rise in Sick Leave

According to the Association of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises and Entrepreneurs, the number of temporary incapacity cases rose by 88 percent between 2019 and 2022. As the association's chairman, Josef Jaroš, noted back in the summer of 2023, part of that increase may be linked to lingering effects of COVID-19 infections from the previous year, but in his view, the abolition of the waiting period played a bigger role.

Those in favor of keeping pay for the first sick days, meanwhile, argue that the waiting period effectively penalizes workers for falling ill and pressures them into showing up to work while still sick, risking their health. Under the current system, an employee receives compensation from their employer equal to three-fifths of their average daily wage for the first 14 days of incapacity, after which payments switch over to the insurance system starting from day 15.

Source: seznamzpravy.cz