Under current governmental instructions, employees receive 100% of their salary in case of sickness, but only 80% if the business is out of work due to the national counter COVID-19 measures in place.
Stugalux owner Schons explained how these measures were affecting the business: "We used to have a yearly average of 12 or 13 workers on sick leave, this number has now increased to 80. The company currently employs more than 300 people.
Schons underlined that he would not question medical diagnoses, but noted that the system would create further inequalities between the people affected by sickness or by partial unemployment.
"The amount of payment should be the same in both cases!"
Construction sites should be reopened under certain conditions
Schons showed understanding for the closing down of major construction sites throughout the country, but also expressed his desire to reopen the smaller sites, where only a few people were working at the same time. Especially the jobs that could be handled by individual workers, like painting or tiling, while of course respecting adapted security measures.
The Stugalux owner furthermore explained that some of his employees had already been stopped by the police and sent home, even though they had respected social distancing.
The collective holidays in August should also be reevaluated, Schons said in the interview. He proposed giving employees the possibility to volunteer for work during that time and be compensated accordingly.
Nicolas Buck, president of the national business union (UEL), also confirmed that the number of people on sick leave had risen drastically since the start of the outbreak.
