SICKIES are in the sights of bureaucrats, who call workers at home if they take a day off and even demand they see a government-allocated doctor.

The clampdown comes after NSW topped the country in public sector worker sick days.

Workers take an average eight days a year and Auditor-General Peter Achterstraat, who said he had 25 weeks of sick leave owing when he left his former tax office job, said there was an "entitlement culture".

The Government had failed to meet a five-year target of reducing sick leave by one day for each employee, which could have saved taxpayers $45 million a year, the Auditor-General said in a report yesterday.

Teachers took the most sick days on Mondays and Fridays while Country Energy and EnergyAustralia employees had the fastest growing leave rates with increases of between 40 and 25 per cent respectively.


Comments on this story

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     Diane Posted at 7:48 AM December 09, 2010

         I work in a Hospital and the amount of 'bugs' we can pick up is amazing, especially when gastro goes through the wards..we only get 10 sick days per year & I have never taken a 'sickie' yet use most of mine annually with genuine illness. I'm not surprised Westmead Childrens Hospital is on the list, sick kids carrying lots of germs & what no doubt is a very stressful job. I don't believe the majority of Australians are bludgers who take sickies to head to the beach.

   
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     The thinker of sydney Posted at 8:08 AM December 09, 2010

         The reason why the lower paid workers are taking more days off is so they can look for another job with better pay and conditions.

    
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     Al of Sydney Posted at 8:41 AM December 09, 2010

         'and employees on lower wages took more hours off ill.' Yes, and this would have nothing to do with the fact that the employees on lower wages in the public service tend to work a lot harder than the higher paid (or executives). What I want to know is how it is actualy legal for the state public service to demand employees see a see a government-allocated doctor? As far as I was aware the laws simply state that one must, on request, provide evidence of not being fit to attend work. This evidence can take the form of a doctors certificate OR even a statutory declaration. Am I wrong?

   
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     Steve of Alexandria Posted at 8:46 AM December 09, 2010

         Does anyone ever thing people take sick leave when they are not happy at work or over worked. The Governement has had massive budget cuts in place as well as a staff freeze for 12 months. People are working longer hours unpaid, covering vacancies, and receieving no training or career opportunities. And then there has been the swine flu etc so isnt it logical sick leave will increase. And no I am not a public servant

   
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     Mike Barton, of Lane Cove Posted at 8:50 AM December 09, 2010

         Teachers are exposed to little people with all kinds of germs everyday because the parents cannot afford to stay home with a sick child or a child with a cold. Most Teachers would prefer not to take sick days on Mondays and Fridays, because if you have a Friday sick day that one day is counted as 3 and requires a doctors certificate. I know when I use to teach you would feel fine on Friday and then the bug would hit you over the weekend.

   
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     Paul Wallis of Sydney Posted at 8:51 AM December 09, 2010

         Does that include stress leave, often caused by psycho middle managers? Nobody who's ever worked in the NSW public sector could call it a great motivational culture. 8 days a year could be caused by a bad case of the flu. Someone will now spend a fortune issuing directives about sickies, holding briefings, etc.and the great idea of sick people coming in to work, spreading disease, and making mistakes. Mr. Aachterstaadt might also like to note that sick leave doesn't accrue from year to year. If he was in the circus for a long time, when he left he would have had the same amount of sick leave "entitlement" as anyone else.


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     Biff Posted at 9:12 AM December 09, 2010

         Maybe 20 days annual leave just isn't enough. Hang on, there's no maybe's about it. It's not enough.