HALIFAX, NS: According to documents obtained by the Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF) through the Freedom of Information (FOI) bad weather, Olympic hockey games and the Christmas holidays were amongst the most commonly taken sick days by Nova Scotia provincial government workers.

In 2013-14, the Top 15 sick days taken by government workers were:

 

1. March 27, 2014                         Day after major snow storm

2. January 23, 2014                        Day after Major snow storm

3. February 19, 2014                        Olympic hockey: Canada vs. Latvia (1pm game)

4. March 13, 2014                        Freezing Rain Storm / School March Break

5. January 3, 2014                        First Friday after New Year’s holiday

6. February 6, 2014                        Major Storm late on February 5th, 2014

7. December 27, 2013             Christmas holidays, Boxing Day sales

8. March 5, 2014

9. January 2, 2014                         Day after New Year’s holiday (Thursday)

10. March 11, 2014                        School March break

11. December 30, 2014            Christmas holidays

12. March 4, 2014                       

13. February 20, 2014            Olympic hockey: Canada vs. USA (Women’s Gold Medal)

14. February 14, 2014            Olympic hockey: Canada vs. Austria (1pm game)

15. March 3, 2014                       

 

“Looking at these numbers should leave all Nova Scotia taxpayers feeling ill,” says Kevin Lacey Atlantic Director with the CTF. “Sick days should be used by government workers who are actually sick, but when sick days ‘magically’ coincide with Christmas, bad weather outside and hockey games you know people are using these as vacation instead.”

Holiday’s Make Government Workers Sick

Four of the top 15 sick days taken by government workers in 2013-14 happened over the Christmas holidays.

Government workers like most everyone else have a holiday on Christmas day, Boxing Day, and New Year’s Day. But just after each holiday there was a spike in the number of people calling in sick.

Olympic Hockey

On work days when Canada played Olympic hockey games (games happened during the day due to time change from Sochi, Russia) the number of government workers who called in sick was 5-12 per cent higher than the 2013-14 average.

The third highest day for government workers to call in sick was reported on February 19^th, 2014 the same day as the quarterfinal game between Canada and Latvia. Canada won the game 2 to 1.

Weather Sick Days

Four of the top 10 days sick days relate to the weather.

According to the collective agreement government workers do not have to come to work if the weather is not safe for them to do so. Any time that they did not work during a storm must be made up at a later date in consultation with their manager.

You can find a copy of the provincial government’s weather policy: HERE

The policy does not allow for government workers to use a sick day if they do not want to work because of the weather.

Government Worker Entitlement

Government workers are allowed to take up to 18 sick days per year, four days to attend appointments and another five days to care for a sick family member. Added together an employee could be off a month a year by just using their sick days.

According to figures released by Public Service Commissioner Laura Lee Langely the average government worker used 12.6 and sick days in 2013-14 and cost the government $26 million. In 2012, Statistics Canada found that workers outside government in Nova Scotia take just 8.4 sick days every year.

“Most government workers get up, go to work and do their job well, but these number prove that sick time entitlement is being abused and it’s costing taxpayers millions,” said Lacey.

The CTF wants the provincial government to get rid of “sick days” all together. Instead the government should replace them with employee tracking that allows employees to stay home from work when they are sick but catches those who abuse their entitlement.

A copy of the backgrounder can be found HERE

A copy of the CTF’s FOI can be found HERE