MBOMBELA – It cost the provincial Department of Health an estimated R58,7 million in salary payments for employees who were on sick leave in 2013.
According to the department’s annual report for the 2013/14 financial year which came under discussion at the portfolio committee meeting last week, the total number of sick leave days taken by employees from January 1 to December 31, 2013, amounted to 90 135. According to the report the average sick leave days taken per employee amounted to four for contract-level workers on a salary band of level 13-16, five days for contractors on level three to 12 and eight days for everyone else.
This is in line with the standards prescribed by the Department of Labour. According to the Basic Conditions of Employment Act, workers may take the number of days they would normally work in a six-week period for sick leave on full pay in a three-year period. Most often this amounts to 30 days. Eight days in a year is not exorbitant, according to an accounting and financial expert Lowvelder spoke to.
According to the report, 11 320 employees contributed to this leave, and 96 per cent had medical certification for their absences.
The salary bands which contributed to the total of sick days, were skilled workers (level three to five) with 40,2 per cent, highly skilled production (levels six to eight) with 24,4 per cent and highly skilled supervision (levels nine to 12) with 19,6 per cent.
Ms Jane Sithole, DA member of the provincial legislature, said unexplained absences should be prevented.
“Management in the health department must exercise effective discipline to ensure that employees are at work. Paying people who are often absent from work is paralysing the department. The proper management of leave, especially sick leave is of utmost importance.”
Mr Dumisani Malamule, spokesman for the department, would not comment on the report.
