Udo Dinglreiter urges end to telephone sick notes in Germany

Gesamtmetall president Udo Dinglreiter said Germany faces a genuine problem with high sick‑leave rates and argued that the telephone sick‑note should be abolished. He warned that the impact of requiring a sickness report from the first day remains to be seen, noting that many companies already have their own procedures.

Dinglreiter praised the coalition’s reform package for measures such as reforming dismissal protection for high earners, allowing longer fixed‑term contracts and introducing trust‑based working hours without time‑recording. He also welcomed bureaucracy‑cutting steps but pointed out that the package does not include a weekly maximum working time without tariff exemption or the trust‑hour system he seeks. He called on the government to implement everything promised in the coalition agreement and stressed that tackling sick‑leave abuse is the right approach.