Osak calls for stricter oversight of sick leave abuse without limiting access for those in need

Nicosia, Cyprus. Osak president Miltos Miltiadous said greater checks should be introduced for government employees taking sick leave, instead of broad measures that make it harder to obtain leave. He said oversight should be strengthened to curb abuse while protecting those who genuinely need assistance.

Call for targeted oversight

Miltiadous, who was recently elected head of the federation of patients’ associations, acknowledged on Thursday that abuse of sick leave is a real problem and said the situation needs to improve.

He said the response should focus on increasing oversight and strengthening the ability of supervisors to review sick leave requests so that abuse can be prevented.

Response to government plans

His comments came after Labour Minister Marinos Mousiouttas announced on Monday that the government would make structural changes to address abuse of sick leave by civil servants.

Mousiouttas said a small number of government employees abuse sick leave policies, allowing them to remain effectively absent from their jobs for years.

Concern over blanket measures

Miltiadous said Cyprus often applies blanket solutions to problems, with the result that people who need support are unintentionally affected.

He said the main concern is to ensure that those who are in need are not impacted.