Civil servants’ leave and sick days to be reined in

The Administrative Reform Ministry Wednesday put to public consultation legislation that limits the number of extra leave and sick days that civil servants are allowed to take.

Among the bill’s provisions is the scrapping of the infamous computer leave, which allows civil servants to take an extra six days off a year if they use a PC. The benefit had been in place since 1989 and scrapping it will provide the civil service with 1.8 million extra working hours, Administrative Reform Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has argued.

“We are putting an end to anachronistic practices that create problems between the public sector and citizens,” Mitsotakis said Wednesday. “We are putting right injustices that have existed for years. I am committed to constantly promoting reforms and creating a new civil service.”

The would-be law also seeks to limit then number of paid sick days from 10 to eight, as long as civil servants have a doctor’s note. The number of sick days without a note will be reduced from four to two but cannot be taken consecutively. The number of days that public servants who are also students will be able to take off to sit exams are to be reduced from 20 to 10.

However, civil servants will be given longer leave if they or their spouses give birth to twins, triplets and so on.