The trade union SIPTU has rejected claims by the chairperson of the HSE West’s regional health forum that a culture of abseentism exists among health service employees.
Hitting out at the allegations made by Cllr Padraig Conneely in this newspaper recently the union’s local health organiser Paul Hardy described the comments as an “ignorant attack”.
Cllr Conneely pointed out last week that a total of 316 workers were on sick leave from University and Merlin Park hospitals during January and February.
Describing the latest abseentism figures as “alarming” he stated that out of a total workforce of 3,094 people 164 were on sick leave in January and 152 in February.
Claiming it was “too easy to phone in sick” in the public service, especially on Fridays and Mondays, he urged the HSE to take a more pro-active approach to “phone-in” sick days.
“The culture of sick days in the public service is seen as a right and it must be stamped out. It comes with a high cost to the HSE and leads to cancellations of elective procedures at both hospitals.”
However SIPTU strongly rejected the former mayor and Fine Gael city councillor’s claim insisting he did not have a “shred of evidence” to support his statement that a “culture of abseentism” exists among health service workers.
Mr Hardy said union members “can and will defend themselves and their services” from such “attacks”.
He went on to say that Galway can be proud of its public and private hospital staff as well as those working in community and disability services.
Meanwhile the union will meet local health workers today (Thursday ) to discuss pressing issues such as health service reform, cuts to services and the importance of the health sector to Galway’s economy.
The event, which takes place at the Carlton Hotel, Dublin Road, from 8pm to 9.30pm, is part of the union’s health division’s “National Conversation” with local members. Paul Bell, SIPTU’s national organiser for health service workers, will be among the speakers.
Mr Hardy says the union’s priority is to defend both jobs and services from outsourcing.
“As a model of providing health services this has been shown to have failed. Our other priorities are to uphold the integrity of the Croke Park Agreement which is fulfilling its task of processing the changes necessary to maintain local health services in a time of reduced budgets and staff.”
