AK Salzburg criticizes

“Many dismissals on the third day of sick leave”

The case of Maria T. shocked many "Krone" readers. Her boss fired her when she was in hospital for cancer. Similar cases are also on the rise in Salzburg.

(Bild: zVg)

There is no trace of empathy in some Salzburg companies as soon as someone falls ill. The Salzburg Chamber of Labor is registering more cases.

He had been working for a Salzburg construction company for more than ten years, doing heavy physical work. When the older employee fell ill once, the management showed full severity: "After just three days of sick leave, the man had his notice in his hand. The company immediately stopped all payments," says Heimo Typplt.

After just three days of sick leave, the man had his notice in his hand. The company immediately stopped all payments

Heimo Typplt, Leiter Rechtsabteilung, AK Salzburg

The head of the legal department of the Salzburg Chamber of Labor does not speak of an isolated case. Around 40 employees a year turn to the chamber because they were dismissed while on sick leave. The numbers have doubled since the pandemic.

It often affects those who have been with the company for a long time. These companies simply want to save money and don't give a damn about basic moral rules. The construction, retail, transport, cleaning and catering sectors in particular have seen the most cases.

The bad practice of casually firing employees via WhatsApp has also become commonplace. If the sick employee responds to the text message, it is deemed to have been delivered.

Fighting for continued pay is worthwhile
What employees can fight for, however, is continued pay in the event of illness. "Anyone who has been with the company for between two and 15 years generally receives full pay for eight weeks and half pay for four weeks," says the AK.

The chamber won thousands of euros for the construction worker. This is how much continued pay usually amounts to.