The agenda for today’s government meeting includes the issue of evaluating proposals from several ministries that would allow employees, by mutual agreement with the employer, to take one day off without a sick leave in the case of an acute illness, Diena reports.
The assessment was supposed to be presented by December 2, 2025, and if necessary, amendments to the regulations should have been prepared. However, the report from the Ministry of Welfare states that the task has been completed, and there will be no changes to the laws.
The Latvian Free Trade Union Confederation generally supported the proposal, but the Latvian Confederation of Employers expressed concern that there could be risks of abuse of such a provision in practice. The Latvian Chamber of Commerce and Industry also had objections.
According to both organizations, the labor law already provides a sufficient legal basis for mutual agreement between employers and employees on labor organization issues, including temporary absence from work for objective reasons.
