Sick Days and Vacation Days: Your Questions Answered

Questioner

I was on sick leave for a month and during that period I had 5 vacation days that I had already requested. Now I don't get those days back, is that right? After 2 weeks I was called to the occupational health doctor and his report showed that I was rightly sick at home. (Collective labor agreement VVT)

Lawyer

Hello, sick days may not be considered as vacation days, unless they are extra-statutory vacation days and the employment contract states that extra-statutory vacation days may be offset against sick days or when you have explicitly agreed to the sick days being considered as vacation days. The collective labor agreement may stipulate something different about the offset of extra-statutory vacation days. Incidentally, you can take vacation days during illness, but based on the information you have provided, I gather that this is not the case.