Sickness absence

Following a recent debate on sickness absence in the public sector in the Northern Ireland Assembly, teachers’ union NASUWT called on ministers and employers to take seriously and address issues of real concern that are damaging the health and safety of the teaching workforce.

NASUWT Northern Ireland national official Justin McCamphill said: “Instead of examining and treating the causes of absenteeism among teachers, employers have increasingly focused on reviewing procedures which are aimed at tackling absence with an increasingly punitive approach.”

The union says that excessive workload, reorganisation and job loss have all taken and continue to take their toll on teachers and that their health and wellbeing is suffering.

www.nasuwt.org.uk/Whatsnew/NASUWTNews/PressReleases/NASUWT_014070