Trade union leaders Kolbrún Halldórsdóttir, president of BHM, and Sonja Ýr Þorbergsdóttir, president of BSRB, have publicly criticized a report issued by the Business Council that assesses the sick leave rights of public sector employees. They assert that the report relies on flawed data and misleading conclusions, which they argue could have significant implications for employee rights. The report claims that sick leave rights for public sector employees are considerably more generous compared to those in the private sector, suggesting that public workers have access to seven times more sick days after six months of employment compared to private sector employees with the same tenure.

In their response, Halldórsdóttir and Þorbergsdóttir highlight that the findings of the Business Council promote an unfair comparison between public and private sector entitlements. They emphasize that the proposed adjustments to sick leave rights for public employees, aimed at parity with private employees, are inhuman and fail to take into account the unique pressures and responsibilities faced by public workers. The union leaders argue that sick leave is not merely a statistic but a vital component of workers' rights that reflects the need for adequate time off for recovery and health management.

The implications of this debate extend beyond mere statistics; it touches on broader discussions about labor rights, public service conditions, and the potential erosion of benefits that have been hard-won by public sector workers. As the Business Council continues to advocate for policy changes, the unions are likely to mobilize their members to defend existing entitlements and protect the integrity of public sector employment conditions.