"Compulsory sick leave for Civil Servants"..statement by Michael O'Leary in SIndo

Re: Compulsory sick leave for Civil Servants

liaconn said:
Yes, but as a Civil Servant I am objecting to a lie printed about us in the paper. If lies are printed about other groups, they should also object. Saying it happens all the time doesn't excuse it or mean people who have been unfairly insulted should just put up with it.
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I've never excused it, trust me on this, I'm involved in highlighting it and trying to get the standards raised, my point was that you perceived an anti-CS/PS agenda, however it's just poor journalism. There are plenty of times when SIPTU acting for the PS has had statements reproduced and agendas printed without qualification as if they were fact. The point is it works both ways, and you have to be mindful of opening a can of worms that may ultimately harm your cause.

As always, if it is such a egregious error/untruth, do what most do and send a letter to the Editor to clarify. It's limp and lame and it will never repair the damage fully though, but at least it's something on record.
 
Both O'Leary and the SIndo cronies are attention whores. The best thing you can do is starve them of attention. Don't go writing letters to the editor or ranting here on AAM about their wild allegations. Just ignore them, as you would with a toddler's tantrum.

Not buying their publications and not buying their plane tickets is pretty effective too.
 
Re: Compulsory sick leave for Civil Servants

Latrade said:
I've never excused it, trust me on this, I'm involved in highlighting it and trying to get the standards raised, my point was that you perceived an anti-CS/PS agenda, however it's just poor journalism. There are plenty of times when SIPTU acting for the PS has had statements reproduced and agendas printed without qualification as if they were fact. The point is it works both ways, and you have to be mindful of opening a can of worms that may ultimately harm your cause.

As always, if it is such a egregious error/untruth, do what most do and send a letter to the Editor to clarify. It's limp and lame and it will never repair the damage fully though, but at least it's something on record.
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Excellent post, excellent points.
 
liaconn said:
You could only take 7 uncertified sick days a year, and this was a maximum figure not a target.
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:eek:

I can take two days of uncertified sick leave; after that, I need to produce a doctor's note.

My girlfriend has even more stringent rules than this. She can take two days off sick, once she passes that, she is no longer paid and has to sign on for any days she's ill.
 
I have never worked anywhere where there was any paid sick leave. I don't understand why it should ever be an entitlement.
If a company pays its taxes then it contributes to the welfare system which provides sick pay, why should they pay for it twice?
 
Raskolnikov said:
:eek:

I can take two days of uncertified sick leave; after that, I need to produce a doctor's note.

My girlfriend has even more stringent rules than this. She can take two days off sick, once she passes that, she is no longer paid and has to sign on for any days she's ill.
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Its the same in the CS and PS. Employees hired after 1995 have to claim social welfare if they are out sick for the 3rd day and this amount is deducted from their salary.

Employees like me who were hired pre 1995 pay a modified stamp so have no entitlement to social welfare.

I have no doubt that it is one of the main reasons sick leave is so high in the HSE is people get full pay.
 
ludermor said:
Not sure if the previous poster meant 2 days in total or two days together.
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It's 2 days together. If someone is out on a Friday or Monday they are considered sick for the weekend so must produce a cert.
 
Re: Compulsory sick leave for Civil Servants

liaconn said:
Yes, but as a Civil Servant I am objecting to a lie printed about us in the paper. If lies are printed about other groups, they should also object. Saying it happens all the time doesn't excuse it or mean people who have been unfairly insulted should just put up with it.
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Agree with you there liaconn.

However I would say that another problem is that CS staffs are constrained by the Official Secrets Act and whatever other particulars that have with their particular office. Therefore they do not defend themselves in public media.

Also another problem is that supposedly every Department's Press Office is to deal with issues or misinformation like this and don't. I would go further to say that this is because these accusations are directed against the CS in general, no one Department seems to or want to take on the reply. Might be one for the Dept. of Finance to do seeing that they set the regulations overall.

Was out last night with colleagues of mine from the CS. The barman (who is a shareholder in the place) was throwing this and other mistruths at us all night. Asked him did he ever have a problem taking our money over this. Left us alone after that.

:D
 
Re: Compulsory sick leave for Civil Servants

boris said:
... Was out last night with colleagues of mine from the CS. The barman (who is a shareholder in the place) was throwing this and other mistruths at us all night. Asked him did he ever have a problem taking our money over this. Left us alone after that.
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That's extraordinary.

It's extraordinary that you would take such bad manners from a barman and not simply find another pub.
 
You are probably right but it is so populist at the moment to lambast and ridicule civil servants that we don't even notice it anymore.
 
boris said:
You are probably right but it is so populist at the moment to lambast and ridicule civil servants that we don't even notice it anymore.
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OK, enough. I've finally had enough of this woe is me, everyone's picking on us attitude. (Not directed at you personally Boris, just in general.)

First, I'm sorry, but there is nothing special about people in the vast majority of the PS/CS. Nothing that requires a special protection from the harsh realities of what is going on.

People are especially annoyed now because they've always felt/known that there are parts of the PS/CS that are massively over-staffed and also massively inefficient and ultimately it's costing a fortune. The thing is, people were annoyed before the bottom fell out of the FF Stamp Duty Pyramid Scheme and that's when we could afford it. Now, we’re pretty much livid.

If employees of the PS/CS can't see some of the realities that we really do not need that many people working in indirect services, that some of the archaic practices and agreements run the risk of bankrupting the country; that simply, at this very moment we just cannot afford this behemoth of a system, then you can understand why some people are a bit tetchy.

The PS/CS spin machine will always work to try and link any cut in personnel with less nurses, teachers, fire fighters, gardai. It will let us think we'll be raped and murdered in our homes, our dear old gran will die uncared for, our kids will be just one illiterate number in a class of 100, because of any cut. It won't mention the over paid and under worked administrative side. It won't mention archaic nursing agreements that mean the HSE has to use agency staff (union members of course) even though there are full time staff available.

It'll get the "pension levy" mentioned within the media in every sentence the PS/CS is mentioned. Try a proper pay cut, one that you'll never get back, not something that goes towards a very generous pension that'll you'll get back when you take early retirement. Now that’s spin, even O’Leary could take a tip from that spin machine.

And even though the public see through the spin, naturally it's us who are wrong and unreasonable. I mean, the nerve of us wanting to hold a PUBLIC or CIVIL service to account. The nerve of us expecting that one of the largest drains on our very brittle public revenue is protected and shielded from the realities of what is happening right now.

I see now just how inappropriate and unreasonable I have been. For shame on us all in the private sector.
 
Latrade said:
OK, enough. I've finally had enough of this woe is me, everyone's picking on us attitude. (Not directed at you personally Boris, just in general.)

First, I'm sorry, but there is nothing special about people in the vast majority of the PS/CS. Nothing that requires a special protection from the harsh realities of what is going on.

People are especially annoyed now because they've always felt/known that there are parts of the PS/CS that are massively over-staffed and also massively inefficient and ultimately it's costing a fortune. The thing is, people were annoyed before the bottom fell out of the FF Stamp Duty Pyramid Scheme and that's when we could afford it. Now, we’re pretty much livid.

If employees of the PS/CS can't see some of the realities that we really do not need that many people working in indirect services, that some of the archaic practices and agreements run the risk of bankrupting the country; that simply, at this very moment we just cannot afford this behemoth of a system, then you can understand why some people are a bit tetchy.

The PS/CS spin machine will always work to try and link any cut in personnel with less nurses, teachers, fire fighters, gardai. It will let us think we'll be raped and murdered in our homes, our dear old gran will die uncared for, our kids will be just one illiterate number in a class of 100, because of any cut. It won't mention the over paid and under worked administrative side. It won't mention archaic nursing agreements that mean the HSE has to use agency staff (union members of course) even though there are full time staff available.

It'll get the "pension levy" mentioned within the media in every sentence the PS/CS is mentioned. Try a proper pay cut, one that you'll never get back, not something that goes towards a very generous pension that'll you'll get back when you take early retirement. Now that’s spin, even O’Leary could take a tip from that spin machine.

And even though the public see through the spin, naturally it's us who are wrong and unreasonable. I mean, the nerve of us wanting to hold a PUBLIC or CIVIL service to account. The nerve of us expecting that one of the largest drains on our very brittle public revenue is protected and shielded from the realities of what is happening right now.

I see now just how inappropriate and unreasonable I have been. For shame on us all in the private sector.
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Lartrade

What most of us are objecting to are the sweeping statements tarring everyone in the Public Service with the same brush eg they're all a crowd of lazy spongers, they're all useless, they all fiddle their sick leave etc.
 
Latrade said:
People are especially annoyed now because they've always felt/known that there are parts of the PS/CS that are massively over-staffed and also massively inefficient and ultimately it's costing a fortune. The thing is, people were annoyed before the bottom fell out of the FF Stamp Duty Pyramid Scheme and that's when we could afford it. Now, we’re pretty much livid.
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If they were so annoyed why did they continue to vote for FF so?
 
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