the absenteeism of employees of the city of Besançon questions

On September 10, 2024, the Regional Chamber of Accounts of Burgundy-Franche-Comté published its observation report on the city of Besançon between 2018-2023. The big problem remains absenteeism among city employees, which has seen its numbers explode since 2018.

The city of Besançon (Doubs) is at the heart of a problem that is part of the news. After the announcements of the Minister of the Civil Service, Guillaume Kasbarian, wishing to save money on absenteeism in the public service, the Bisontine city stands out for the high increase in the number of days of absence within the workforce of its municipal employees. There are approximately 2,000 agents.

On September 10, 2024, an observation report from the Regional Chamber of Accounts of Burgundy-Franche-Comté, an organization responsible for verifying the accounts of local authorities and judging possible conflicts relating to these accounts, in fact pointed out the sharp increase in absenteeism from 2018 to 2023 among employees of the city of Besançon. This increases, according to the organization, to 58,874 calendar days of absence in 2023 compared to 32,032 days in 2018, an increase of +83.80% in five years, or nearly 13.40% per year.

Besançon, well above national standards

According to the report of the Regional Chamber of Accounts, an absence is considered to be: sick leave, a work or commuting accident, but also professional illnesses, long-term sick leave (CLM), serious illness leave (CGM) or long-term illness (MLD). Maternity and paternity leave or various authorizations are not taken into account.

In 2021, at the national level, the absenteeism rate in the public service stood at 7.7%. Besançon, for its part, is around 10.16% in 2022, then 9.84% in 2023. Quite significant figures for a city of more than 120,000 inhabitants.

According to the Chamber, the increase in absenteeism over the last five years is mainly caused by the increase in sick leave (17,360 days in 2018 to 31,271 days in 2023, with 37,455 days in 2022), work accidents (4,220 days in 2018 to 5,408 in 2023) and travel accidents (146 days in 2018 but 823 in 2023). Despite everything, the severity of sick leave is decreasing, but the statistics have doubled for ordinary illnesses and sick leave days in particular.

Payroll more than impacted

The Regional Chamber of Accounts also affirms that absences for health reasons have impacted the town hall's payroll, with 12.9 million euros of money spent, i.e.equivalent of 268 FTE (full-time equivalent) in 2023.

“We have had staff increases, so there are more sick leaves”

What response does the current town hall take over in 2020 with the election of environmentalist Anne Vignot? Although the community assumes an unfavorable development over the control period, for Élise Aebischer, deputy to human resources, “the figures are not as alarming as one might think”.

We are below the national figures for ordinary illnesses.

Elise Aebischer

Deputy mayor of Besançon, human resources delegate

After a period of unprecedented covid health crisis, the figures have logically increased. “We are on a decline in 2023, but if we compare ourselves precisely in a community of more than 1,000 agents, we are below the national disease figures ordinary“, explains the elected official.

With this study by the Regional Chamber of Accounts, the City contrasts its figures. According to her, “the rate of ordinary illness is 4.29% (compared to 4.54% at the national level) and that of work accidents is 0.85% (compared to 1.3% in France)”.

So nothing is alarming for Élise Aebischer, “we have had staff increases, there is logically an increase in sick leave in our community. There is an unfavorable development, but we are working to take action and improve the situation”.

The City is mobilizing to remedy these so-called “compressible” absences

To remedy this excessive spending, the City of Besançon has still decided to take action. Prevention measures against so-called absences “compressibles” were put in place with well-targeted areas: quality of life, prevention of psychosocial risks, work accidents and professional wear and tear.

Unions criticize “not representative” figures

These figures are not representative of the situation according to Rachel Messousse, FO general secretary of Doubs. For her, the reasons are more linked “to the quality of life at work”. “Today, we are hitting civil servants for everything and nothing, it’s unacceptable!” she explains. “Sick leave happens depending on working conditions, for once we need to ask ourselves the right questions and understand why there are so many stops”.

We must stop shooting red bullets at civil servants

Rachel Messousse

General Secretary FO of Doubs

The union representative also points out the reason which, according to her, explains this new political outlook on absenteeism in public services: “They want to reduce the remuneration for sick leave of more than three months. Their goal is clear, to reduce the salary by 10% in the event of sick leave. But at some point, we must stop taking aim at civil servants, this are not stops out of desire.

As a reminder, the French government wants to make nearly 1.2 billion euros in savings. As the Minister of the Civil Service, Guillaume Kasbarian, announced to our colleagues at BFMTV, “a plan to combat absenteeism” will be made in the public service, an announcement which had provoked strong reactions. As in Besançon, where the municipality, through its elected representative Élise Aebischer, considers that this plan “could have the opposite effect and be a bad idea”.