Council staff two weeks on sick

The report said absenteeism management varied across councils

Council staff took an average of two weeks in sick leave last year at a cost to ratepayers of more than £16m, the NI Audit Office has said.

The main reasons given for absences were stress, depression, mental health issues and fatigue.

The highest average rates were recorded by workers in Larne with 20 days a year, followed by Carrickfergus, Derry City Council, Moyle and Craigavon.

Magherafelt staff had the lowest rate, calling in sick eight days on average.

The sharpest rise occurred in Ballymena council.

Newry and Mourne showed the biggest improvement since last year, cutting absenteeism from an average of 21 days to 15 since 2005.

Brian Campfield of the public service union Nipsa said the absentee levels sounded like "a staggering figure" but had to be assessed "in context of the overall workforce".

"You have to remember that many council employees work outdoors in all weathers, and they are subject to quite a bit of pressure from the public from different sectors of society," he said.

"Many of the jobs have a lot of stress involved."

The report, by Chief Local Government Auditor John Buchanan, found there was no discernable pattern in absentee rates, but said the management of absenteeism did vary between councils.

"We recommend that councils with high and rising absenteeism rates should review their own management practices and benchmark these against those councils with low and falling absenteeism rates," it said.