:: press release ::

CIVIL SERVICE SICKNESS LEVEL MUST BE ADDRESSED

SAYS ROSS

Alastair Ross MLA has said that sickness rates in some areas of the NICS are unacceptable and action must be taken to address it.

Commenting, the East Antrim Assembly Member said,

“High sickness levels within the Northern Ireland Civil Service are not new and indeed the current Finance Minister Peter Robinson recognised the need to do something about it when he assumed office last year.

A recent Audit Office shows that the average civil servant in Northern Ireland is off for almost 14 days a year, which is not only unacceptable but is significantly worse than rates elsewhere in the UK.

Whilst there will of course be some people who will quite genuinely require some time off, it is utterly unacceptable that civil servants in one Department alone are off on average for nearly 4 weeks of the year. This level of absence impacts upon public service delivery and is also costing the taxpayer an estimated £7 million a year, money that could be put to use elsewhere.

Of course there will be some sensitivities surrounding sickness leave, but we cannot simply ignore the issue and hope that it resolves itself in time. The problem needs to be addressed at once and those departments who are the worst have a particularly important role to play.”