States sickness costs £10m

Tuesday 13th July 2004, 12:00AM BST.

SICKNESS in the public workforce costs the Island £10.3 million a year – higher than in the UK public and private sectors.

The Island would save £900,000 if sickness absence was reduced to the UK public-sector average of 9.5 days per worker per year, and £3.4 million if it was reduced to the UK private-sector average of seven days per person per year.

The shadow public accounts committee led by Tim Dunningham and Deputy Sarah Ferguson revealed the figures yesterday when they held their first public hearing into absence through sickness.

Senior civil servants from the human resources department were quizzed on systems used by heads of industry and politicians to record and reduce absenteeism.

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