Teachers' uncertified sick days cut from 31 to seven [Independent.ie]
- Published: 12 October 2010
The number of sick days teachers can take without producing a doctor's certificate has been slashed by the Department of Education under new cost-cutting measures.
Previous allowances of up to 31 uncertified days have been slashed to seven.
Up to now, primary teachers had a 31-day ceiling on uncertified sick leave each year, while teachers in second-level schools could claim 30 days.
The new rules represent no change for teachers in the Vocational Education Committee (VEC) sector, where the maximum number of sick days allowed is already seven.
The change is a part of ongoing cost cutting by the Department of Education, which now also intends to carry out regular examinations of sick leave records to ensure the new regulations are complied with.
The Irish National Teachers Organisation (INTO), representing 32,000 primary teachers, says the new arrangements will not affect the vast majority of teachers.
Full Story: www.independent.ie
