FOI request from The Scotsman reveals cost of public sector sick notes tops £750m in five years
A freedom of information request made by The Scotsman newspaper has revealed that the cost of sick notes among public sector workers has topped £750 million in lost working days in recent years.
The newspaper’s political correspondent, Scott Macnab has reported that the number of workers facing disciplinary action has doubled over the past year to more than 3000 as bosses attempt to crack down on the problem.
The FOI request uncovered that thousands of workers have been dismissed in recent years through poor attendance.
In all, more than 17 million days have been lost as a result of sick days over the last five years.
The figures include those of local councils, the Scottish Government, NHS boards and the police and show that the number of staff facing disciplinary action reached 3,575 in 2010-11, more than doubles the 1,717 the previous year.