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PHILIPSBURG--Government is considering amending the current policy to lower compensation paid to workers on their sick days as a means of combating absenteeism.
In response to questions on this subject from Democratic Party ((DP)) Member of Parliament (MP) Sarah Wescot-Williams during the public plenary session of Parliament on the 2015 budget, Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs said the point of departure is that employees would get only a percentage of their salary paid to them when on sick leave.
"This can range from, for example, 90 per cent as of the second or third day of being sick, to for example 70 or 80 per cent after having been sick for a longer period," Gumbs said. "This has not been worked out yet and amending this policy will require extensive research before it can actually be executed."
He said in countries, such as the Netherlands, this system is already being applied and it "works as it makes an employee think twice before calling in sick after having sneezed."
In St. Maarten's current situation, Gumbs said persons can be on sick leave for up to two years before they actually experience a 10-per-cent decrease in salary. "This is costing government enormously," he said adding that sick leave is not taken lightly in St. Maarten.
"It is simply a matter of closing the gap between those that are really sick and those that easily call in sick, while saving the government money," he said.
