Public sector sick leave down 40%

STRICT rules on sick leave among public sector workers have led to a 40% decline in absenteeism, new figures reveal.

Since 2012, staff at local authorities, hospitals and other parts of the civil service receive no social security payout for their first day off work ill - called a jour de carence.

Health insurer Sofaxis found the measure resulted in a significant drop in the number of workers taking a single day off sick - down 40% at hospitals and 43% in local authorities.

The jour de carence was introduced by prime minister François Fillon to cut social security costs.

It has angered trade unions, who have successfully lobbied for it to be scrapped in the new year. The current government believes it is "unfair and ineffective".

Private sector workers receive no social security payment for their first three days off sick, although many employers make up the difference.