Council tops illness table
Friday 24th April 2009, 5:07PM BST.
Council workers in Cannock Chase are the worst in the Midlands for the amount of sick days they take according to the latest figures.
On average every worker at the council took 13 days off sick last year, the highest rate of any council to confirm its final figures for 2008-09.
The number of sick days claimed by staff jumped up from 10.6 in 2007-08, while in the private sector the average sick rate is just 5.8 days per worker.
This year Cannock Council has been embroiled in an industrial dispute with Unison over annual holidays and the authority has also faced redundancies and huge cuts in public services.
Labour councillor Les Bullock said: “It doesn’t surprise me. I know as a councillor that morale is absolutely on the floor.
“We need to find the root causes of the problem first and it seems people do not like to go to work for Cannock Chase District Council.”
Jamie Summerfield, spokesman for the council said: “The council had succeeded in bringing down sickness absence from an average of 12.8 days per worker in 2005-06. We are concerned the figure for last year has risen to 13 days.”
Neighbouring South Staffordshire Council had the lowest rate at just 6.96 days off last financial year.
Stafford Borough Council saw its staff claim 11 days off sick last year.
Staffordshire County Council lost 9.27 days to sickness in 2008-09.
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I would suggest that most council workers see it as additional to the annual leave entitlement.
When do you ever here of a council sacking an employee?
Safe as houses.
As for Mr Bullock, do you ever wonder if the councillors contribute to the low morale?
Finally if morale is so low why don’t they leave because ALL councils are heavily overstaffed.
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Why does the media have to highlight these statistics? ……………. isn’t it so obvious that the public sector of our society is so stressed out in these very difficult recessionary times! ……. what surprises me is that the figures illustrated are so low! …….. the public sector are our front line troops at the moment and deserve our fullest consideration! ………
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i feel stressed just paid my council tax
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I wonder what the figure would be if they just received the SSP after the first 3 days without pay like many in the private sector. We’re all stressed at the moment but that doesn’t excuse bone idleness and taking the tax payers for a ride. They’re as bad as the idiots in Westminster and their ridiculous expenses.
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Having spent most of my time in the military it is grilled into us that we are part of a team. We worked hard as individuals but assisted each other to achieve the common goal. when I left the military and joined a company, there was nobody there who was interested in the business and only in the money they earned. There was no morale boosting exercises or even a get-together after work or at weekends. What I’m trying to say is that these people didn’t feel part of the common goal and therefore the business failed and the workers would rather be somewhere else other than the people they worked with. I don’t work there anymore (suprise). Now with a great company loads of socialising and loads of morale and we sure get the job done.
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How can you lot criticise without the full picture. Does anyone know the average sickness for a private organisation of a similar size?
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If you worked here you would understand the picture, it is hell at times. We want to do a good job but are so often stopped by bureaucracy and over bearing bullying, (HEAD IN SAND) highly paid managers. If a few changes were made ( a few people went politicians and officers)it would be great. The vast majority of CCDC workers put in more than their fair share and are public servants through and through, wanting the best for the residenst of CCDC but we get no recogniition nor praise so why do we bother ? YES WHY DO WE BOTHER AT ALL !!!!!!
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unless you actually know the facts, this is all bonkers – 1 person can be seriously ill for months and 1 person (like myself) can have a day a year off sick but its all based on averages.
but yet again us CCDC staff apparently have it all – i would like to see half the people that think we have it cushy, come and work here to see for themselves what its really like – i am still here b’cus a job is a job in todays reality !
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