Interministerial meeting to discuss issues related to improving the performance and effectiveness of the civil service, protecting employees, and addressing long-standing distortions that affect the smooth operation of government agencies—and in particular, the abuse of sick leave in the Police and Prison Systems—was held on June 19 at theMinistry of Justice and Public Order.

According to today’s announcement by the Ministry, it was decided to pursue specific legislative, administrative, and oversight measures aimed at strengthening transparency, accountability, reliability, and effectiveness of the framework governing the granting of sick leave in the public sector.

The meeting was attended by the Minister of Justice and Public Order, Konstantinos Fytiris; the Minister of Finance, Makis Keravnos; the Minister of Health, Neophytos Charalambides, and the Minister of Labor and Social Insurance, Marinos Mousiouttas, as well as senior officials and civil servants from the four ministries.

As reported, particular emphasis was placed on the issue of sick leave and on ensuring the proper implementation of the relevant institutional framework, as the data presented indicate that, in certain cases and for certain categories of staff, the rates of absences due to sick leave deviate significantly from statistically expected levels, with consequences for the operational functioning of government services, public costs, and the balanced distribution of the workload among employees.

It was further noted that the participating ministers emphasized that the State has a non-negotiable obligation to fully support, without any discrimination, employees facing genuine health problems, while it was also emphasized that the abuse of a system established to protect workers undermines the credibility of the system itself, creates conditions of unequal treatment, and places a burden both on the operation of public services and on employees who consistently perform their duties.

It should be added that cases of long-term sick leave are of particular concern, as they highlight the need for continuous evaluation and strengthening of monitoring procedures, in order to ensure the proper implementation of the institutional framework, the equal treatment of all employees, and the protection of the public interest.

The ministers emphasized that the government’s goal is not to challenge employees’ right to sick leave, but to ensure that this right is exercised in a fair, objective, and reliable manner, for the benefit of both employees and the smooth operation of public services.

During the meeting, there was complete consensus among the four ministries regarding the need to promote measures that will ensure, on the one hand, substantive support for employees who are truly in need and, on the other hand, the effective prevention and addressing of instances of abuse or distortions, wherever they are identified, the report states.

It was also emphasized that every agency, department, authority, council, official, or professional involved in the process of granting, evaluation, audit, and monitoring of sick leave must exercise their responsibilities with accountability, objectivity, professionalism, and full awareness of the consequences their decisions have on the functioning of the state, employees, and society at large.

“The Government remains committed to ensuring the proper, fair, and effective use of public resources, with respect for taxpayers and the public interest. In this context, it was decided to promote specific legislative, administrative, and auditing measures aimed at strengthening transparency, accountability, reliability, and effectiveness of the framework governing the granting of sick leave in the public sector,” the announcement concludes.