The Canadian Taxpayers Federation is raising alarm bells over the incredible amount of sick days federal government workers take.

The average federal employees takes 17.9 sick days per year, more than two weeks and nearly three times more than the rest of Canadian workers.

“We have more federal government employees booking off sick days on any given day than actually showing up for work at General Motors and Chrysler combined,” said CTF federal director Gregory Thomas.

“We’re facing an epidemic of sick-leave abuse amongst government employees and it needs to be stopped.”

Even federal workers working at Place du Portage — although they were tentative about giving their names — admitted the numbers made all of their colleagues look bad.

“It’s kind of embarrassing, really,” admitted Cathy with a chuckle.

“I’m not sure who’s taking that many days off but it’s nobody I know.”

Maybe that’s because Portage, which houses 10,000 federal employees and is the biggest epicentre of workers in the region, doesn’t house the most well-known sick days abusers.

That dubious honour belongs to employees at Veterans Affairs who booked off an average of 24.2 sick days in 2011-2012, in addition to paid vacation which ranges between two and six weeks, according to a recent Treasury Board survey.

CTF’s boss said their behaviour is “unbelievable.”

“We’re not talking about war veterans here, we’re talking about desk jockey’s (sic) in Ottawa.

Rather than honouring their employment obligations and assisting the heroes who have fought for our country, they pad their generous vacation time by taking more than a month of sick leave.”

Elsewhere in the government, Department of National Defence workers took off an average of 18.6 days, while staff at the Department of Justice took 13 sick days and Environment Canada employees took 12.6 sick days.

The average workers outside government positions took only 6.7 sick days off in 2012.

“People should only take off sick days when they’re really needed, or take a leave of absence,” said another federal employee, who refused to give their name.

“Otherwise it labels everyone else.”

Thomas is urging politicians to act on this “taxpayer-abuse” when federal workers re-negotiate their contracts in 2014 and 2015.

“Too many government employees have forgotten the meaning of an honest day’s work for an honest day’s pay,” he said.

mike.aubry@sunmedia.ca

Twitter: @ottawasunmaubry