Sickness levels in NI councils ‘highest in the UK’

The BBC are reporting that figures show an average of almost 14 days per employee in 2018-19 - a 13% increase in five years.

The findings come from a joint report by Northern Ireland’s two public sector auditors.

Teachers in Northern Ireland also take more sick days than other parts of the UK, according to the report.

Auditor General Kieran Donnelly and Local Government Auditor Pamela McCreedy warned that sickness absence is placing a strain on services.

Overall sickness absence in the Northern Ireland civil service has also increased by 10% in five years, with staff off for an average of almost 13 days annually.

Northern Ireland’s two public sector auditors said the levels are almost double that within the civil service in England.

It comes after a report last week by the auditor general revealed how Northern Ireland’s civil service is struggling to cope because of a crisis in staffing levels with almost 1,500 unfilled vacancies.

According to the figures published in the latest, report council workers in 2018/19 took on average 14 days off because of sickness.

That compares to 11 days for councils in Scotland and eight in England and Wales.

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