Nicosia, Cyprus. The government is preparing structural changes to address abuse of sick leave across the public sector after concerns were raised about employees remaining absent from work for years while continuing to receive pay, Labour Minister Marinos Mousiottas said on Monday.
The issue was discussed after a meeting with Justice Minister Costas Fitiris, Finance Minister Makis Keravnos and Health Minister Michael Damianos.
Concerns extend beyond prison staff
Speaking after the meeting, Mousiottas said the matter had been raised in relation to prison staff but was not limited to a single department.
He said the issue also existed in other government services, where there appeared to be abuse of the right to sick leave by a small proportion of employees.
Current sick leave procedures
Mousiottas said that under current procedures, employees can remain on sick leave for up to 42 days before being referred to a medical board.
If approved, they may receive up to six months of leave on full pay, followed by a further six months on half pay.
Repeated leave cycles
The minister said a recurring problem arose when employees returned to work briefly before resuming sick leave.
He said that, in such cases, an employee returned to work for one day at the end of the six-month period and then went back on sick leave the following day, effectively beginning a new arrangement and receiving normal pay again.
Recent criticism over prison system
The discussion followed recent criticism by Fitiris, who questioned the conduct of some prison officers amid disputes over working conditions and reforms within the prison system.
Extended absences identified
According to Mousiottas, authorities have identified cases in which public sector employees remained absent from their posts for extended periods.
He said it appeared that some services had people who had been absent from their jobs for many years.
