Sickness loses more days than strikes: Siptu

Irish workers are 65 times more likely to lose a day's work from sickness rather than strike action.

Last year alone 1.4m days were lost to ill health according to Siptu General Secretary, Joe O'Flynn.

He claimed that the comparative figure for strike days lost was 21,259. The statistics form part of Siptu's campaign to highlight what they term inaction over deaths in the workplace.

It says that although data shows that 809 workers were killed between 1989 and 2002, this may mask a higher figure when traffic accidents and smoking related illnesses are taken into account.

O'Flynn also suggested that the 'diluting' of the proposed smoking ban would continue to harm workers general health.

"In Ireland we have the highest death rate from respiratory diseases in Western Europe and the lowest life expectancy within the EU Community.

"Why should workers in hotels, guest houses, psychiatric hospitals, nursing homes, prisons etc., be any more exposed or deemed any less worthy of protection than those working in factories, restaurants and offices?," he added.

Siptu expressed the view that the smoking ban should be incorporated into a new Health and Safety at Work Act which is expected shortly.