Confederation is against the abolition of the waiting period

Czech employers refuse the plan of the social democrats who try to abolish the waiting period for sickness benefits that makes up three days in the Czech Republic. The Confederation of Industry (SP) is fundamentally against the project of prime minister Bohuslav Sobotka because the entrepreneurs fear higher costs given up to the administrative and controlling of the sick employees as well as the abuse of this kind of measure by the employees.

The Confederation is persuaded that the short-term incapacity could arise in the case of until three percent of the employees which could cause an increase in overtime. The most risks would be carried by the small-size companies, especially if a flu epidemic breaks out.

According to a Confederation’s review from December 2014, 76 percent of the companies refuse the abolition of the waiting period for sickness benefits. Only 24 percent of them would accept it, mostly from the IT branch where the incapacity caused by illness is in general very low.

The abolition of the waiting period for sickness benefits is part of the governmental coalition agreement. Sobotka wants that the benefits are a little bit lower in the first three days of the illness than on other days.

Today, for the first three days of the illness, the employees don’t get anything, but from the fourth days on they receive 60 percent of their pay. From the fifteenth day on, the benefits are covered by the health insurance.