The majority of Germans reject Allianz CEO Oliver Bäte’s proposal to relieve companies by canceling the payment of wages on the first day of illness. A recent Forsa survey for the “Stern” shows this.
Seventy-two percent of the respondents do not consider this a sensible approach, while only 25 percent support it, and three percent remain undecided. The survey’s results are even more one-sided among dependent employees, with 83 percent rejecting changes to the existing rule that provides full wage payment from the first day of illness.
Notably, the differences in opinion are significant along party lines: Bäte’s proposal is only supported by a majority among FDP supporters, who back it by 58 percent. In contrast, Green and SPD supporters overwhelmingly reject the proposal, with 85 and 86 percent, respectively, opposing it. The proposal also receives significant rejection from Union, BSW, and AfD supporters, with 63, 77, and 71 percent, respectively, opposing the reform of wage payment in the event of illness.
The survey was conducted by phone on January 9 and 10, 2025, and is based on a sample of 1,001 respondents.