SICK & TIRED
COUNCIL WORKERS MISS THOUSANDS OF SHIFTS A YEAR DUE TO ILLNESS
● £7.7m taxpayers’ bill
● Absences rocket in just five years
● Mental health most common complaint
● Union slams staff cuts
Taxpayers footed a sick-note bill of almost £ 8million for council workers last year.
Renfrewshire Council figures have revealed the staggering costs of days lost to illness.
On average, more than two weeks per full- time worker are recorded as sick days, with staff suffering with ‘ musculoskeletal and joint disorders’ as well as ‘psychological’ concerns.
Union chiefs last night insisted that cuts to staffing levels have put extra stress on smaller frontline teams who handle bin collections, street cleaning and roads maintenance.
Mark Ferguson, Unison’s branch director for Renfrewshire, said employees are being encouraged to seek help for medical complaints.
He said: “It’s no surprise to us staff have been absent suffering from stress.
“Demands on services are increasing, while the teams on the frontline are getting smaller.
“There have been huge cuts and significant job losses.
“There is better recording of mental health issues and we advise members to talk through psychological issues with their doctors at the earliest opportunity.”
Local authority records show absences have grown steadily across departments over the last five years.
Employees missed an average of 12 shifts each in 2017-18 – up almost five per cent on the year before.
The cost to the public for missed days last year topped £7,741,084.
The env i ronment and
communities team had the worst performance.
It lost an average of almost 16 shifts over the year per full-time employee.
The department includes bin men, street cleaners cemetery workers, street cleaners, road workers, janitors and cleaning staff.
Children’s services had the lowest sick rate, with eight shifts lost per worker.
Unscheduled days off per fulltime local government worker are up almost a quarter since 2013-14.
Council chiefs have missed their absence target of less than three days per full-time employee every quarter except once since March 2016.
The reason given most often for failing to show at work is psychological issues, followed by muscle and joint pains.
The council says it has measures in place to cut unscheduled absences.
A health strategy is in place, including encouraging employees to change their lifestyles, quit smoking and raise awareness over mental health.
It also includes access to physiotherapy for all workers.
Managers have been given extra training to help identify health issues among teams.
They have been directed to put in place support to allow return to work, including flexible shifts.
Renfrewshire Council chiefs said the local authority has been hailed with an award for staff wellbeing every year over the last decade.
A spokesman added: “We recognise the important role our staff play in ensuring the council can deliver high-quality services for the community.
“We provide a wide range of support services to assist employees and support their attendance.
“Our main causes of absence, non- work- related stress and muscle pain, are in line with the national picture.
“We work hard to ensure we have appropriate measures in place to support our staff.
“We place a significant importance on ensuring good mental health and make counselling services and cognitive behavioural therapy available to all staff that may need it.”