Questionnaires, mandatory visits to the company doctor and sometimes high salary losses lead to criticism of the way Wiener Linien deals with absenteeism due to illness. The transport companies are defending themselves.
Similar practices to waste collection also exist at Wiener Linien, as a former works council reports to “Krone”. Here too, questionnaires were used, and those who answered ‘yes’ to the question about possible secondary diseases often lost their tour and had to wait until they were allowed to work again.
The big problem was that during this time you had to accept salary cuts of up to a third because the bonuses were no longer available. “Considering the meager basic salary of a bus driver, that was dramatic,” the former employee explains.
Dealing with absenteeism due to illness leads to staff shortages
In addition, anyone who was ill for more than two weeks had to visit the company doctor. Then you had to present all the findings to him so that he could get an idea. Once, while on sick leave, he was called to the company doctor after he had been fitted with a pacemaker. These manners were also the main reason for the staff shortage. And a large part of the dismissals were based on this, the former works council claims. Only the extreme shortage of staff would have led to a reconsideration.
Wiener Linien says: “Our colleagues from the transport department have a high level of responsibility. Before you start your work, and at regular intervals thereafter, your physical and mental fitness will be checked. If employees have a serious illness or have been on extended sick leave, our in-house team of doctors re-checks their suitability before starting work. If necessary, findings can also be requested here. A medical history form is also part of the usual process. Like all doctors, our medical professionals also have a duty of confidentiality.”
Source: Krone
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