As trade unions kick up a storm over an employers’ proposal to consider the first day of sick leave as unpaid waiting time, few may have given a thought to the number of days public service employees report unfit for work.

The furore shielded the public service from the glare of the controversy,  when sick leave abuse in the civil service has always been a problem. Yet, no one from the government, not even the Prime Minister or the minister responsible for the public service, appeared to be unduly worried.

At least, none has so far publicly reacted to remarks made by the director general of the Malta Employers’ Association when he said that, according to official statistics, the number of sick days per person taken in the public sector is three times that in the private sector. If this is correct, the administration has quite a problem. However, since it would be naïve to presume that the administration is unaware of the problem, the logical conclusion is that the government – now and in the past –  has, for political reasons, been unwilling to take effective action to check the abuse, thereby ensuring greater voting support at election times.

Many would have thought that resort to such manoeuvres were long over. Indeed, it looks that the extent of abuse is increasing, not decreasing, as shown also by the rampant resort to the power of incumbency in the last general election.

To the growing league of people employed in positions of trust, the government is believed to have taken on, quite unashamedly, a number of additional workers in the public service just before the election, particularly in Gozo. Indeed, when Parliament sits again after the summer recess, the Opposition ought to hold the government to account by demanding concrete answers to a series of questions relating to the power of incumbency resorted to in the last election.

How many additional workers were employed in the public service in Malta and Gozo? In which departments were they employed?  How many promotions were given in the public service, in the police force and the army in the weeks before the election? What is the cost to the exchequer of the additional workforce and of the promotions?

How many people have been engaged in government customer care? For ‘customer care’ read mainly persons handpicked to ensure that government party supporters are ‘cared’ for.

Political party strategies of this nature are offensive to taxpayers but the government, now growing increasingly arrogant following two electoral wins, appears to be looking the other way.

It is time for the government to be held accountable as it would seem that, in the wash of the political contests taking place, these matters are not being given the full attention they deserve.

Widespread resort to the power of incumbency might not have been the main reason for the Nationalist Party to lose the election but there is no doubt it greatly helped keep the vote gap aggregate between the two parties wide.

Allowing such a level of sick leave abuse in the public service and moves meant only to expand the voting power base represent additional cost to the taxpayer and are, therefore, scandalous.

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