Sicknote culture

JOHN Dennis writes that the public-sector unions should ballot their members to initiate a “permanent work-to-rule/contact until their pensions revert to the status quo, as in April 2011” (Letters, 22 December).

While it may seem facetious to say that this may well bring about an improvement in productivity in some areas, it would not be unfair to ask Mr Dennis if he has any ideas on how to reduce the very high, and very costly, level of absenteeism in the public sector.

In the UK, this currently runs at 12.2 days for each employee every year, some 50 per cent above the national average for the private sector. In the reviled sector of banking and finance the figure is 7.8 days a year.

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If public-sector absenteeism were reduced to the national average, the savings would go a long way to cover the amount that will still need to be paid by the rest of us (most of whom are not bankers on huge bonuses, nor individuals who avoid paying UK tax) to subsidise public sector pensions – which will still be extremely generous under the coalition’s proposals.

David K Allan

Mainshill

Haddington

East Lothian