![\"\"](\"http:\/\/dominicanewsonline.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/sick-leave1.jpg\" "\\"sick")
The Dominica Employers Federation (DEF) is expressing concern about what it describes as a worsening of the incidence of sick leave and what this is costing the country.<\/p>\nThe Dominica Employers Federation (DEF) is expressing concern about what it describes as a worsening of the incidence of sick leave and what this is costing the country.<\/p>\n
Registered employees here were paid more than EC$7 million in wages while they were on certified sick leave, the DEF says, quoting available statistics.<\/p>\n
According to the employers organization, social insurance logged more than 86,600 days of sick leave claimed by a workforce of less than 23,000.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s more than the 78,425 days recorded for 2010.<\/p>\n
The figures being quoted do not include certified sick leave for less than four days.<\/p>\n
The DEF says if this was included along with uncertified sick leave, occupational injuries, disablement, and a few other related areas, total sick leave for the year would exceed 100,000.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is clear that the full extent of illness on our national productivity, output and competitiveness is extremely costly,\u201d the employers say.<\/p>\n
The private sector is already on record having questioned in 2010, \u201cwhether a sick-leave-mill was in operation in Dominica\u201d.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s a question doctors on the island who issue certified sick leave took objection to.<\/p>\n
But the DEF says these concerns have not gone away and it is even more worried about the situation today.<\/p>\n
Three doctors are reported to have led in the 86,697 sick days given in 2011, with one responsible for 10 per cent, another 9 percent, and the third 8 per cent.<\/p>\n
The remaining 73 per cent is accounted for by 116 other doctors.<\/p>\n
Dominican employers are warning that the question of the liberality of issuing certified sick leave cannot be left unchecked.<\/p>\n
They are also expressing concern about the behaviour of employees \u201ccalling upon health professionals to support their unethical practices\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut even more concerning is the impact on our national competitiveness and ability to generate wealth,\u201d the employers federation concludes.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Dominica Employers Federation (DEF) is expressing concern about what it describes as a worsening of the incidence of sick leave and what this is costing the country. Registered employees here were paid more than EC$7 million in wages while…","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":67243,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_cbd_carousel_blocks":"[]","footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-67242","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n