German chancellor Friedrich Merz announced sweeping tax, pension and labour reforms today, including that workers will now be required to get a medical certificate saying they’re too unwell to work from the first day of sick leave.  Workers in Germany used to be able to take up to three sick days without seeing a doctor and could call a doctor for a one-week sick leave letter without an in-person appointment.  Under the new reforms, both options are now banned.  In a speech, Merz flagged “exorbitant levels of sick leave in companies following the pandemic” and said: “We are…