THE NUMBER OF sick days taken by Ireland’s public servants is almost twice that taken by workers in the private sector according to new figures.
Public servants average 8.5 sick days each year compared to 4.5 days in the private sector according to figures released by the Department of Public Expenditure.
Civil servants meanwhile average 10.2 days off sick each year. All told, over two million sick days were taken in the public service in 2015.
“While there has been a significant improvement… the rates of sick leave in areas of the public service remain high and need to be reduced further,” said public expenditure minister Paschal Donohoe.
But how can that be achieved? At present public servants are entitled to 91 days fully paid certified sick leave, and a further 91 days on half pay. Is further action required?
We’re asking: Should the government further cap the number of sick days that can be taken by public servants?
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