If you catch a bad cold, Swedish law allows you to take about as much time off as you need to recover from it – as long as you accept that the first day off will be unpaid.
It's called karensdagen in Swedish – 'the deductible day' – and abolishing it, so that sick employees won't feel pressured to go to work sick on that first day or lose income, has been a central election promise from the Social Democrats, the leading opposition party.
But the Centre Party, a potentially crucial collaborating partner in a post-election government led by the Social Democrats, has now said that they oppose that proposal – and oppose it firmly enough that the party would be in opposition to a new government if the Social Democrats keep that promise.
This makes the unpaid sick day 'deductible' a potentially crucial issue for a possible government collaboration between the Social Democrats and the Centre Party after the election.
"We don't have much to do in a government that doesn't want to drive growth and create more jobs," said Centre Party leader Elisabeth Thand Ringqvist today on Swedish radio programme PI Morgon
However, Thand Ringqvist did say that her party is at least open to negotiation on the subject.
"Then we'd have to negotiate," she told P1.
Abolishing the qualifying deduction period could mean a big cost for companies, the Centre Party says.
"If the Social Democrats can show a model that doesn't affect companies, we can discuss it," said Thand Ringqvist.
With reporting from TT