The ETUC is calling for paid sick leave for all workers across Europe as the coronavirus exposes the danger to public health posed by the cuts made to sick pay by member states. European Commission figures show the majority of member states have reduced spending on sickness benefits since the 2008 financial crisis. Twenty-two member states spent less per person on sickness benefits in the five years following the financial crisis compared to the five year prior to the crisis. The biggest cuts came in countries hit hardest by austerity: Greece (-7.2% per year), Spain (-2.3%), Cyprus (-1.9%), Ireland (-0.9%) and Italy (0.5%). That has led to the rate of sick pay being cut, eligibility conditions being tightened, and the duration of sick pay being shortened, according to the European Commission.
For example, reforms in Hungary led to a halving in the number of people benefiting from sick pay between 2005 and 2013, with the number of sick days taken reduced by 17 million over that period. The cuts to sick pay across Europe means more people go to work when they are ill because they can’t afford to take lose income or risk losing their job.That presents a risk to public health, particularly in the context of the coronavirus outbreak.

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