ODS to propose reinstating unpaid sick-leave waiting days — Macinka won't oppose it

The opposition Civic Democratic Party (ODS) plans to propose reinstating the so-called "quarantine period" — the elimination of pay for the first three days of sick leave — during discussions of the state budget in the Chamber of Deputies. ODS chairman Martin Kupka made the announcement during a debate on Nova TV with Foreign Minister and leader of the Motorists party, Petr Macinka.

It was Macinka who, last week, failed to secure the return of this measure in negotiations with his ruling coalition partners, the SPD and ANO parties. On air, he said that when the ODS proposal comes to a vote, he certainly will not vote against it.

"You'll have the chance to vote for it, because it's the right measure — even independent studies have shown that introducing the quarantine period didn't lead to a wider spread of illness. Scrapping this measure is exactly what we need to fix now," Kupka said.

Savings of 5 billion crowns

Macinka had previously noted that the Motorists, in talks with their coalition partners, had pointed to abuses of the system for paying out the first days of sick leave. According to him, bringing back the quarantine period would allow the state to save around 5 billion crowns. At the same time, Macinka said there is no unity on the issue even within the coalition itself — opinions are divided within ANO as well.

Asked directly how he would vote, Macinka replied: "I can say for certain — I won't vote against it." Still, it's possible he could abstain.

Coalition postpones the issue for a year

On Thursday, during the final budget debates, the ruling coalition agreed to revisit the quarantine-period question in a year's time, after the SPD came out against reintroducing it. SPD chairman Tomio Okamura said his movement would vote against such a measure as a matter of principle.

The government is due to approve the budget on Monday, and the bill must be submitted to the Chamber of Deputies by the end of September. Deputies will begin reviewing it in the second half of October.

Second-largest deficit in Czech history

According to reports, the deficit in next year's draft state budget will likely be reduced by several billion crowns following coalition talks, compared with the Finance Ministry's original proposal, which envisaged a deficit of 389 billion crowns. Even with this reduction, the budget will still mark the second-largest deficit in the history of independent Czechia.

The Finance Ministry's original draft assumed revenue growth of 3.3%, to 2.189 trillion crowns, and a 6.2% rise in spending, to 2.578 trillion crowns, with most ministries seeing increased budgets. The ANO, SPD and Motorists coalition agreed this week to cut the deficit by several billion crowns, but has yet to specify which spending items or revenue increases this would involve. The year-on-year rise in the deficit has drawn criticism from opposition parties, the National Budget Council, and even from the Motorists and SPD themselves.

Source: seznamzpravy.cz