Civil servants taking too many sick days?
Posted Jun 21, 2012 08:43:11 AM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
OTTAWA, Ont. – Civil servants on average take two and a half times more sick days than private sector employees in Canada, according to a federal report.
The report obtained by the CBC revealed that of the 15 sick days available to civil servants each year, federal employees use 12 days on average. When disability is included this average grows to 18 days a year.
Civil servants can also bank unused sick days from one year and retain them for illness in the future, often just before retirement.
Approximately 19, 000 federal civil servants are absent on an average work day, which costs taxpayers over a billion dollars a year, although an exact cost of the absenteeism is difficult to determine.
The report raises questions about why there is such a large discrepancy between civil servants and other employees.
