LOCAL authority staff in Clydebank face tighter rules on 'sickies’ to tackle West Dunbartonshire Council’s £6.75 million bill for sick days.

The council has the 'worst’ absence rate for any council in Scotland with 57,211 days lost last year, a recent meeting revealed.

Each employee was off for an average of 12.8 days compared to the council’s target of eight days for general staff and five days for teachers by March next year.

The absence rate has soared by 13 per cent — 6,656 days — after falling five per cent last year.

Now, councillors have agreed new tighter rules on absence, cutting the amount of sick days staff can have before a formal meeting is triggered.

Previously staff could be off sick 12 days a year before staff were called to a meeting with their line manager, this has been reduced to eight.

Four separate occasions of absence in a year will also trigger the meeting.

The council said this brings it in line with other local authorities, and other large employers in the area such as the NHS and the Ministry of Defence.

A report by the council’s head of people and transformation, Vicki Rogers, at the council’s corporate services committee this week, said: “While some improvement has been made in individual service areas, the current approach and policy has not achieved the necessary change in behaviour amongst employees.

“Current levels of attendance are unsustainable and immediate intervention is required to achieve the levels of attendance the council has set for its workforce.” It continued: “Overall the proposals aim to simplify the current absence procedures and change behaviours and attitudes to attendance, particularly amongst those employee where levels of attendance fall below those agreed and expected by the council.” Council leader Martin Rooney said: “Trade unions, the management, politicians, and the community want to see improvements in attendance. We’re doing all that we can.

“It is about trying to change the culture and also making it more supportive for staff to come back. I see interventions in attendance as support to bring staff back.” Charlie McDonald, West Dunbartonshire convener for union Unite, said: “The trade unions are working very closely with the council to try and reduce absence rates in West Dunbartonshire.

“We’ve been looking at the absence management plan and going through it.

“We understand absence is a big issue for West Dunbartonshire and it’s a big issue for us as well because we need to protect jobs and we need to protect services.

“If someone is off sick we will defend our members and that process, and I think the council is committed to that as well.” Since 2010, the council has been descending in the ranking of Scotland’s worst council for absence, hitting the bottom two years ago.

At that time the council brought in the controversial Working Well Together drive aimed at lowering absence rates.

The internal campaign was criticised by trade unions who were unhappy at some of the tactics used by the council.

Controversial banners put in place in council buildings carried messages including: 'The average cost of a sick day would pay for two days of foster care’ and 'The cost of an average sick day would pay for 50 meals on wheels’.

Claims were made that some employees felt 'bullied’ by the banners and unions launched a petition to have them removed immediately.

The council said the campaign led to a six per cent drop in sickness absence, saving £261,000.