Deputies are languishing for their full salary without further ado. Only four married a disabled woman

“Since the beginning of the election period, four MPs have taken sick leave, one of them twice in 2022,” Martina Lustigová, spokesperson of the House of Representatives, informed Novinky a Právo. She could not say which of the two hundred legislators they were, citing the protection of personal data.

Members of Parliament are not employees, and therefore do not have to excuse their absence from a session of the House of Representatives or a committee with a certificate of incapacity for work from the attending physician. Neither the Rules of Procedure of the House nor the Labor Code force them to do so. They are therefore entitled to one hundred percent of their salary even in absence, all they have to do is apologize to the chairwoman of the lower chamber, Markéta Pekarová Adamová (TOP 09) or the head of the relevant committee.

In addition, they can apologize for basically any reason. At the beginning of a meeting of the Chamber of Deputies, excuses are often made for family or work reasons – some MPs, in addition to their mandate in the Chamber of Deputies, also hold positions in regions or regions.

Ministers draw compensation on experts, even if they have the whole office at their disposal

Homemade

Members of parliament take incapacity for work due to illness basically only voluntarily. When they choose it, the same rules apply to them as to other employees, they are entitled to 60 percent of their salary for the first 14 days of illness. After that, the “sickness” is paid by the District Social Security Administration.

During covid, “incompetent” was more common

As Lustig told Novinkám a Práva, 24 MPs took sick leave between 2017 and 2021. In the previous election period under the government of Andrej Babiš (ANO), MPs were motivated to choose incapacity for work by the imposed quarantine when they tested positive for covid. They had to undergo this when entering the buildings of the House of Representatives. At that time, the pirates appealed to the MPs to marry a woman unable to work while in quarantine.

According to Jakub Michálek, the chairman of the Pirate Club of MPs, the question of whether the rights and obligations of MPs and employees should be harmonized is unnecessary. “Incapacity for work is already harmonized, but many MPs do not follow it. Unfortunately, MPs often have to pass such minor illnesses because they have to be present for voting. But there should be order in it. If they are unable to work for a long time, they should take sick leave,” he told Novinkám a Práva.

Volný misused sick leave from the MP’s salary

But even sick leave can be abused by some people in the House of Representatives. This was demonstrated by former MP Lubomír Volný, who was elected for the SPD in the previous election period. Shortly after losing the elections in October 2021, in which he was already a candidate for the Free Bloc, he went on sick leave and began receiving sick leave calculated from the MP’s salary.

He ended it in January 2022 after the media pointed out that he was bypassing demonstrations against compulsory vaccination when he was incapacitated.

This year again, the media dealt with the drawing of compensations by MP and former Chartist Bašta, who had been in the hospital since last spring and died in April.

When an employee gets sick

Regular employees are paid wage compensation by the employer during the first 14 days of temporary incapacity for work, from the 15th day they are entitled to sick leave paid by the Czech Social Security Administration

The attending physician decides on the occurrence of temporary incapacity for work by issuing a decision on temporary incapacity for work (so-called eDisability).

During the first two weeks of illness, the employer pays a wage compensation that represents 60 percent of the reduced average hourly earnings. A sick employee receives it only for working days, or holidays, if they fall on a working day.

If a person is unable to work even after two weeks have passed, he is paid sick leave. Its amount is set at 60 percent of the reduced daily assessment base per calendar day until the 30th day of the incapacity for work, then it increases to 66 percent between the 31st and 60th day, and from the 61st day to 72 percent of the reduced daily assessment base for calendar day.