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In the new Collective Agreement for Public Service employees, the government and unions agreed to introduce modern mechanical or electrical systems for recording attendance in order to discourage abuses. They also agreed to boost the incentives for one to take less sick leave by proposing a maximum of up to three months pre-retirement leave.
It would however, be a serious mistake if we put everyone in the same basket. Workers work differently. There are for example, those who work on a day-in, day-off basis, and others who enjoy several months of holidays. Recording machines or computers are not programmed to think. There is a gross difference between someone who arrived late at work for x hours, or took y number of sickies out of 365 days a year (less of course vacation leave and public holidays) and the same figures for someone who works much, much less days a year. These two categories of people should not receive the same penalty, if the offence is the same.
Glorified employees who work fewer days a year also have better chances to qualify for the full pre-retirement leave because they are more unlikely to take a lot of sick. The ratio of one day leave for every four un-utilised sick leave, as stipulated in the agreement, does NOT differentiate between the two extremes of workers. Let fairness prevail accordingly.
Charles Micallef
Fgura
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