Sick pay for public servants to be halved

Up to 300,000 public servants are to see both their certified and uncertified sick leave entitlement halved thanks to a binding recommendation from the Labour Court.

Currently, state employees on normal certified sick leave for non-critical illnesses are entitled to six months’ full-pay followed by a further six months’ half-pay in a rolling four-year period. Those who do not return then receive a pension or rehabilitation rate — an income based on their accrued pension benefits without added years.

However, from Jan 1, 2014, the entitlement is to be cut to three months’ full-pay followed by three months’ half-pay and the rehabilitation rate is to be limited to 18 months. Furthermore, at present, staff can take seven paid, certified sick days over a 12-month rolling period. In a change that will kick in almost immediately, they will only have seven days over a 24-month period.

Those on certified sick leave for critical illness or serious physical injuries are to retain their entitlement to six months’ full-pay followed by six months’ half-pay in a rolling four-year period. Management had tried to cut the six months’ half-pay for that category of worker to three months. The two sides must go into further talks to establish what actually constitutes “critical illness”.

Labour Court chairman Kevin Duffy said the changes “must be seen as one of major significance from the perspective of the state as an employer” but added the new terms were “both reasonable and modest relative to sick pay arrangements applicable in other employment”.

IMPACT general secretary Shay Cody, chair of the Irish Congress of Trades Union Public Services Committee, said unions had prioritised protection for staff with critical illnesses as new arrangements were “inevitable”.

“The biggest fear among public servants was that they could be left without an income if they fell critically ill, regardless of their previous sick leave record. That’s why we prioritised this issue and we have successfully defended the arrangements currently in place,” he said.

“We were also determined to retain a reasonable facility for self-certified sick leave and we have significantly modified management plans in this area.”

His comments came as figures reveal the extent of absenteeism in state agencies.

Some 24 state agencies last year had staff who took 21 days sick leave or more.

Figures provided to Wicklow TD Simon Harris show absenteeism in agencies cost €252m. Most of this was related to health workers’ sick days.

The Fine Gael TD said: “Obviously there must be a system and structures in place to support people as they become ill, but this system must be monitored and reviewed by public sector managers.”