Outline for sick-leave benefits approved

The government also approved the outline for a new amendment on sick-leave benefits on Wednesday, with Minister for Labour and Social Affairs Zdenek Skromach putting forth the proposal that sick-leave benefits be paid only for work days missed. The bill also aims to reduce sick-leave pay to just 35 percent of one's regular salary for the first three days away from the workplace. On additional days patients would receive up to 70 percent of their regular pay. The plan, meanwhile, has met with resistance from both doctors and entrepreneurs. Entrepreneurs are upset the bill will count on employers to cover the first fourteen days of benefits, while doctors have expressed dissatisfaction with a planned fine aimed at discouraging medical professionals from treating malingerers lightly.