Nurses defend high sick leave rates in public sector

Health unions have defended their members following new figures which show the level of sick leave in the public sector is twice the rate of the private sector.

Sick leave in the 300,000-strong public sector is costing the State about €430 million, a rate which is described as “unsustainable” in unpublished Government briefing documents.

Absenteeism is highest in the Garda and health services where between 10 and 12 days are lost per employee annually.

When broken down by cost, the health was responsible for the bulk of sick leave (€223 million), given the higher number of employees in the sector.

Liam Doran of the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation said physical and mental stress of jobs in the health sector meant that sick leave rates would always be greater than many other occupations.

“There are physical stresses and strains and patients want a 100 per cent healthy person looking after them who has no risk of cross infection, no back strains... these stresses are greater than in your standard occupation in the economy,” he said.

He also insisted that staff did not take kindly to “malingerers” given that absenteeism mean extra pressure is heaped on the shoulders of remaining staff. In general, he said, staffing back-up is not available at short notice. “The vast majority of public sector employees respect the terms and conditions of their employment and comply with them,” he said.

“I’m not going to apologise for nurses, midwives or other public servants who are legitimately out because of demands of their occupation... that’s not to say that if you have a workforce of 100,000 there will be a minority of people who use and exploit the system.”

A new sick leave scheme has been in place since March of this year. Under these measures, uncertified leave in a two-year period has been reduced from 14 to seven days.

In addition, the old arrangement of six months sick leave on full pay, followed by six months on half pay within a four year period has been replaced by three months on full pay and three months on half pay.

If there was a reasonable prospect of a person returning to work, a pension rate of pay used to apply.

This has been replaced by a “temporary rehabilitation payment” which is paid for a maximum period of eighteen months .

Mr Doran said, however, it was unlikely these measures would lead to a reduction in the sick pay bill.

Cuts to uncertified leave, he said, may result in many who are sick going to doctors and being advised to stay away from work for longer.

Latest available sick pay figures relate to 2012. A spokesman for Minister for Public Expenditure Brendan Howlin said figures for 2013 are not yet available.

The Government measures sick leave as a per centage of working days lost in a 12-month period.

Overall, an average of 4 per cent of working days in the public sector were lost due to sick leave in 2012.

The rate was highest in the Garda (5.3 per cent), the health sector (4.8 per cent), local government (4.7 per cent) and the Civil Service (4.6 per cent).