CBIís anti public sector bias shows in sickness absence claims

Commenting on the CBIís annual absence survey published today (Monday), TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber said:

The CBI wants us to think that public sector workers are too ready to throw a sickie and take a few days off whenever they feel like it.

But more serious analysis of absence statistics shows the exact opposite. Public sector workers are less likely to take short periods off work ill than their colleagues in the private sector. If we look at absences of five days or fewer then the average private sector worker takes 5.5 days off sick, while public sector workers take 4.9 days.

The average figure for public sector workers is higher only because more public sector workers take long term sick leave, much of which will have been caused by injuries on duty. This is not surprising given the dangerous and stressful nature of public sector jobs like police, firefighting and nursing.

Public sector long term sickness figures will also be boosted by the fairer deal that workers in the public sector get when they are injured or become seriously ill, while too many private sector staff will be quietly got rid of.

In any case workers in Britain are not malingerers. British workers are less likely to take short-term sick leave than workers in any European country except Denmark. Only Austria, Germany and Ireland lose less working time due to long-term absence.

A TUC poll showed that 75 per cent of workers have struggled into work when they are ill, mainly because they do not want to let their colleagues down.

The correct conclusion to draw from all the figures is that British employers should be more grateful to their staff for working when they are ill, for taking less time off than their European colleagues and that private sector bosses should learn from the greater loyalty shown by public sector workers. Instead the CBI are showing their anti public sector bias. This spin may suit their memberís prejudices, but it would be more sensible to stress their common sense conclusion that we should all work together to improve the rehabilitation that can help get people back to work.