Minister of Information Technology and Cabinet spokesperson Melford Nicholas is in support of the stance taken by Minister of Health Sir Molwyn Joseph that there needs to be stricter control over uncertified sick leave.
Sir Molwyn, speaking at a recent handover of garbage trucks to the National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA), raised concerns that some staff members had been absent from work for over 100 days during the year for various reasons, including illness, which is impacting productivity.
Minister Nicholas was asked for his thoughts on the matter at last week’s post-Cabinet press conference.
He described the abuse of sick leave as a “cultural phenomenon” that extends beyond government sectors, affecting both public and private institutions across Antigua and Barbuda.
“It is fair to say that there is broad-scale, across-the-board public and private sector abuse of sick leave. It’s almost an entitlement that people believe they can do that, and it’s probably particularly pronounced in the public sector,” Nicholas stated.
The minister referenced a “concerning practice’ where some medical professionals have developed a business around selling sick leave certificates.
“We know of instances where certain medical professionals have lent themselves to the sale of sick leave and they have developed a whole business of ensuring that persons can go in and purchase two weeks’ sick leave for a fee of $75 or maybe more,” he argued.
To illustrate the financial impact, Nicholas cited a local security company that lost approximately $1.3 million in one year due to sick leave issues.
According to the Labour Code, workers are generally allowed at least 12 days of uncertified sick leave per year.
However, the Minister emphasised that addressing this issue requires more proactive management.
“If you have managers who are prepared to hold people to account and to say, ‘listen, you’re not productive and we need to have a conversation about whether or not you are best served being in this position,’ then I think that those things by and large help,” he stated.
He acknowledged that while trade unions are aware of the problem, the current sick leave provisions in collective bargaining agreements may need to be reviewed to enhance national productivity and competitiveness.
