SPD's Schweitzer accuses Merz of 'barrack-square' tone in sick note debate, warns against blanket distrust of workers

The criticism

Alexander Schweitzer, the acting SPD state leader and former minister-president of Rhineland-Palatinate, has taken aim at Chancellor Friedrich Merz over the tone of the debate on sick leave reform. Speaking to the German Press Agency in Mainz, Schweitzer said he wished Merz would "win people over for the reforms and not alienate them with harsh, barrack-square sentences". The remark followed a speech by Merz at the CDU state party conference in North Rhine-Westphalia, where the chancellor dismissed critics as "cultural pessimists, prophets of doom, moaners, grumblers, outraged professional critics: fall out!"

I wish Friedrich Merz would win people over for the reforms and not alienate them with harsh, barrack-square sentences.

The reform package

The coalition committee of the CDU/CSU and SPD at federal level had agreed to make a doctor's certificate mandatory from the first day of illness, instead of the current fourth day. Employers can already demand earlier certification, but the new rule would make it the legal default. The coalition also plans to abolish the option of telephone sick notes. Schweitzer acknowledged that reducing sick days is "fundamentally right", but insisted the approach must address root causes and not place employees under general suspicion.

We have to tackle the causes and not suspect employees of being a nation of shirkers.

Doctors' workload and practical doubts

Schweitzer warned that already overstretched GPs should not be burdened with even more certificates. He called for a solution that is "practically implementable", pointing to collective bargaining law, employment contracts, works agreements and the federal legislative process as levers. Doubts about the feasibility of the stricter rule have also surfaced within Merz's own conservative camp, according to the reports.

Political backdrop

Schweitzer's attack comes from a weakened position. In the Rhineland-Palatinate state election on 22 March 2026, his SPD lost power after 35 years at the helm. The CDU, led by Gordon Schnieder, became the strongest party with 31.0 percent, while the SPD slumped to 25.9 percent, its worst result ever in the state. The AfD took 19.5 percent. Schweitzer now leads the state party only on an interim basis, and the CDU governs in Mainz together with the SPD as junior partner.

Broader message

Schweitzer also used the moment to highlight SPD achievements, stressing that without his party there would be no planned tax relief of almost ten billion euros for small and medium-sized enterprises. He described the sick note debate as overshadowing other coalition decisions, some of which were "good and urgently necessary". The timing of the legislation remains open.