Targeting sick leave in the civil service aims to save €1.2 billion. The government wants to move to three days of waiting time, compared to one currently, so that compensation would start on the fourth day, and to pay less for downtime, up to 90% of salary, compared to 100%.
Kasbarian “hates civil servants”
This “populist proposal will not solve the heart of the problem, the increase in sick leave”, which “is increasing in the public sector due to the considerable deterioration of working conditions, more than in the private sector”, for example in the hospitals, pleaded Sophie Binet. And “this will mainly disadvantage women, the majority in the public service and very affected by short stays, for example in cases of endometriosis,” she noted.
“We must stop civil servant bashing,” said Sophie Binet, recalling that “we were very happy during Covid to have civil servants who keep the country running”. The government argues that its measures would only align the public service with the private sector. But, for the three days of waiting, “in the private sector, for the overwhelming majority of employees, it is neutralized” by branch or company agreements, objected the manager.
