COUNCIL staff are up in arms over an exception to sick pay rules which has been made for two senior employees.
The union is furious the council’s chief executive and director of Leisure Services are on full pay for extended sick leave while ‘ordinary’ workers must drop to half pay after six months absence from work due to sickness.
It’s understood a grieva
nce has been filed this week by an employee who is currently on sick leave at half pay while Francis Rock and Ross Millar enjoy full-pay even though they’ve been off for longer than six months.
The result of the case could see a precedent set for council employees not just in Craigavon, but for councils provincewide.
GMB convener John Prunty said: “What has angered the workforce is the inequality with which Craigavon Borough Council has dealt with this issue.
“There are other employees within Craigavon Council including staff and former manuals who have fallen ill and have not been treated with the same ‘compassion’ as these two gentlemen.”
He said this was not a personal attack on the chief executive or the director of Leisure Services.
“Both gentlemen are not at work due to different and personal circumstances,” he said.
It’s understood the decision to award Mr Rock and Mr Millar extended sick pay was dealt with at council under confidential business.
The GMB have requested clarification as to which councillors gave the decision the green light, which government bodies recommended the extended sick leave and what legal advice was sought on the issue.
To date council have not responded.
A council spokesperson said they would be making no comment to the ‘MAIL’ on the decision to extend Mr Rock’s and Mr Milllar’s fully paid sick leave.
The full article contains 302 words and appears in Lurgan Mail newspaper.
