It’s enough to make you sick.

According to data provided by the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, Ontario government employees — both unionized and those who are not — called in sick 81% more often in 2012 than their private-sector counterparts.

The average government employee took 10.5 days off last year, while workers in the private sector called in sick an average of 5.8 days (the latter figure coming from Statistics Canada).

It appears employees on staff at services-related ministries were particularly sick (of their jobs perchance?) in 2012, with those working for correctional services taking on average 15.5 days last year. Community and social services employees were a close second, with 14 sick days in 2012. Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care employees were off sick an average of 12.3 days.

CTF Ontario director Candice Malcolm believes the figures show provincial employees are abusing their sick leave by taking days when they’re not actually sick.

Considering those employees were making on average 13.9% more per year in 2011 compared to similar employees in the private sector and 76% of them were covered by a registered pension plan as opposed to 26% of private-sector workers — according to a recent Fraser Institute report — I’d venture to suggest their entitlement is sickening.

“There’s definitely a culture that’s pervasive in these government offices that they use these sick days as an extra holiday leave,” Malcolm said,

She said public-sector workers often joke about how they catch “long-weekend-itis” — meaning they tack a sick day onto a Friday or Monday to give them an extra long weekend.

“You see this across all levels of government ... It’s not a huge shocker but it’s still disappointing.”

Jenna Mannone, spokesman for Government Services Minister John Milloy, told me in an e-mail that Ontario government employees receive six paid sick days per year and said unionized employees who exceed that number get about 67% of their salary — up to 26 weeks.

She also noted that about 65% of provincial employees use six sick days per year or less, and that the average number of sick days taken is consistent with other provincial jurisdictions.

See note above about absenteeism being pervasive across all levels of government.

There’s no doubt excessive sick leave costs organizations because when people aren’t turning up to work, others have to cover or a substitute has to be brought in — all of which “affect the bottom line,” said Malcolm.

Maybe in the case of the provincial government, it goes unnoticed because there are just far too many employees to begin with.

Toronto City Hall had a huge absenteeism problem as well. The average rate has hovered at 13 days per year.

However, a plan to strictly monitor the sick days taken was worked into the CUPE union and other contracts negotiated in 2012.

I asked Mannone if an attendance management program was in place for the Ontario Public Service.

She responded, again via e-mail, that ministries with sick leave usage reaching a “corporate threshold” — now nine days — must prepare action plans to reduce their average sick leave rates.

These action plans are supposed to be put into practice and enforced by an employee’s direct manager, Mannone added.

They’re obviously doing a lousy job of it considering the sick leave figures revealed in this column. In his extensive 2012 report, economist Don Drummond noted that the Ontario public sector system does not “measure productivity well nor does it encourage active steps to improve it.”

He also said that “can and must change.”

Asked about the sick leave statistics Tuesday, Premier Kathleen Wynne said she hasn’t seen the stats and thought what was being talked about a “bit vague.”

But where there’s a need for attendance management practices, that “needs to be looked at,” she added.

What a load of B.S.

As if a premier who gave away the candy store to her teacher union buddies and is feverishly cozying up to any union who will vote for her, as opposed to the NDP, is prepared to clamp down on sick leave in the slightest.

I don’t know about you, but I’m sick to death of Wynne’s attempts to try to make us forget how much her government has abused taxpayers.

There’s no cure for that except for an election.