I recently read in your newspaper that a local official has bemoaned the unacceptable level of absenteeism by employees in the public sector, specifically those in local authority jobs.

These employees have a far higher rate of absenteeism compared to workers in the private sector. I believe, as do many others, that the main reason – and let’s be honest with ourselves about this – is it is all too easy for them to lose time from work without suffering financial loss.

The solution to this malaise, therefore, is both simple and obvious. It is to ensure that in order to obtain payment an employee has to work. In other words, if an employee is absent from work then he or she receives no payment for the time lost. Surely it would be an easy matter to issue each employee with a clock/swipe card which they would use to log in and out of work – a bit like many do in the private sector.

Look at it this way – would any of these absentees go to a store and pay for goods or services they do not receive? Of course not, but, in effect, that is exactly what taxpayers are forced to do. By what right should an employee expect payment in exchange for nothing?

Should a “no work equals no pay” policy be implemented, I believe “sickness” rates would fall, absenteeism would be greatly reduced and less cash would be seen flowing from local authority budgets in order to fund temporary replacements for those missing from work.

I can just imagine the inevitable howls of protest from those who, directly or indirectly, have a vested interested in keeping the status quo, but I cannot understand why public sector workers consider themselves immune from fair and reasonable practices such as “a day’s pay for a day’s work”.

I have had the privilege to work along many loyal, dedicated and conscientious public sector employees who have to carry the additional burden of the others in their midst. It is high time that the behaviour of those who exploit the system went unrewarded.

S Lamberton, Station Road, Aldridge.