No termination due to long-term consequences: DGB wants to better protect corona sufferers

Saturday 26 December 2020

No termination due to late effects
DGB wants to better protect corona sufferers

Many people infected with corona suffer from long-term effects of the disease. Some also have to worry about their jobs. In order to better protect employees in this difficult situation, the German Trade Union Federation is proposing a reform.

The German Trade Union Federation (DGB) wants to better protect employees who suffer from the long-term effects of Covid-19 from being dismissed. This emerges from a position paper that is available to the newspapers of the Funke media group. Specifically, the trade union federation wants to reform the so-called company integration management (BEM).

"Each and every employee deserves to keep their job after a serious illness," said DGB board member Anja Piel to the Funke newspapers. "Employees who have been at the forefront of fighting the pandemic for months and who are doing indispensable work in systemically important professions are at high risk of contracting Covid-19." An illness is often associated with longer-lasting health restrictions. Therefore, the company integration management has to be applied in all companies so that "sick employees do not have to worry about their jobs", warned Piel.

Specifically, the DGB demands in its position paper that there should be a legal claim with a qualitative minimum standard to the BEM. If the program is not carried out, a termination should be ineffective, demands the DGB. In addition, in this case the company in question should be fined and the case classified as an administrative offense.

DGB calls for "anti-stress regulation"

In addition, the employer must not have access to the health data collected as part of the program. As a qualitative minimum standard, the DGB requires medical expertise in the team that carries out the program, for example in the form of a company doctor.

Small companies should be supported by the pension insurance with expertise free of charge. In the case of severely disabled employees, the integration office must be involved. In addition, an "anti-stress regulation" is needed, says the ten-page paper. This should "explicitly deal with the psychosocial risk factors at work and make clear guidelines (…) for dealing with psychological and social stress as well as the reintegration of mentally ill employees".

Since 2004, in-company integration management has been provided for every employee who is continuously or repeatedly incapacitated for more than six weeks. Employers, employees and other interest groups, such as the works council or a company doctor, should work out joint measures on how the employment relationship could be maintained. According to a study by the Federal Institute for Occupational Safety and Health from November 2020, however, the BEM is offered to less than half of all potentially eligible employees.