80 Workers at Split's Čistoća on Sick Leave
Director Vlado Pehar confirmed that a fifth of the municipal company's employees are currently on sick leave, and management has terminated one worker for abusing sick leave.
Director Vlado Pehar confirmed that a fifth of the municipal company's employees are currently on sick leave, and management has terminated one worker for abusing sick leave.
Split's municipal company Čistoća is struggling with sick leave again this season. Director Vlado Pehar confirmed to Dalmatinski portal that 80 employees are currently on sick leave, which, given the total of 400 employees, constitutes a fifth of the company. What is particularly concerning is that these are mostly operational staff, not administrative personnel, as reported by Dragan Miljuš on Dalmatinski portal.
As in previous years, temporary workers have been hired. According to Pehar, about twenty people have been brought in to fill the gap left by those on sick leave, alongside the currently active staff. There is plenty of work, as the city is full of tourists, as usual at this time of year. The director has also introduced new measures, deciding to financially reward work and penalize absences, but the initiative has just begun, so it is too early for detailed assessments.
However, it seems not all sick leave is justified. Recently, the company's management identified deliberate behavior, specifically abuse of sick leave, in one employee. The individual was terminated because, during sick leave resulting from a work-related injury, they participated in a football match. Čistoća declined to comment to Dalmatinski portal journalists due to employee privacy protection, but according to information, the worker was on the match list, which reached management, who then took action.
The Čistoća union did not consent to this termination. They believed the evidence was insufficient, the employer's reputation was not damaged, and no material loss occurred. They also emphasized that the worker had always been ready to help the employer, such as stepping in as a replacement for a colleague injured on a waste collection truck.
The union added that this is an experienced, long-serving employee who regrets the misinterpretation of his actions. They proposed halting the termination process and giving him a chance to continue working and prove himself at Čistoća, but management ultimately did not accept this.
