Merz's Plan to Reinstate Sick Note from Day One Sparks Controversy

Friedrich Merz, the German Chancellor, plans to reintroduce the requirement for a doctor's note from the first day of illness, a policy that has sparked strong opposition from general practitioners who argue their practices are already overwhelmed. The Greens and the Left Party have even taken the matter to the Federal Constitutional Court. The article questions whether Merz's plan is feasible and explores the historical origins of the term "Blaumacher" (blue-maker), which dates back to medieval craftsmanship when apprentices took the right to take Monday off as a day of bad luck. In the early modern period, as the pre-industrial revolution emerged and people realized that it was not the day that brought bad luck but the merchants exploiting the guilds, the "blue Monday" was abolished. The author suggests that today, the Chancellor and the entrepreneurs he represents are the source of misfortune, believing that workers are shirking their duties by staying home for a day or two without a doctor's note. The article is an opinion piece that criticizes Merz's plan as a diversionary tactic.