(Ne)dopušteno korišćenje prava na odsustvo zbog privremene sprečenosti zaposlenog za rad

Abstract

Zaposlenom koji je, zbog bolesti, povrede ili drugog zdravstvenog razloga, privremeno sprečen da obavlja poslove za poslodavca pripada pravo na plaćeno odsustvo sa rada, koje se kolokvijalno označava i kao pravo na bolovanje. Korišćenje ovog prava ne može predstavljati opravdani razlog za kažnjavanje zaposlenog ili za otkaz ugovora o radu, u skladu sa načelom zabrane diskriminacije i garantijama prava na poštovanje privatnog života i prava na zdravlje. To ne isključuje, međutim, mogućnost kažnjavanja zaposlenog koji svesno i smišljeno postupa u cilju odobravanja prava na odsustvo protivno njegovoj nameni, kao i zaposlenog koji za vreme odsustva preduzima aktivnosti koje su kontraindikovane njegovoj bolesti ili na drugi način prolongira proces ozdravljenja (i period isplate naknade zarade). Odstupanje zaposlenog od cilja plaćenog odsustva je, pri tom, skopčano sa neosnovanim sticanjem povlastica i drugim posledicama koje pogađaju poslodavca i nosioca zdravstvenog osiguranja, zbog čega su u radu analizirane ključne (socijalnopravne i radnopravne) granice korišćenja prava za slučaj privremene sprečenosti zaposlenog za rad. U toj analizi, posebna pažnja posvećena je razmatranju domašaja poslodavčeve vlasti za vreme prekida rada, kao i abuzivnim ponašanjima zaposlenog koja se mogu kvalifikovati kao povreda njegove obaveze vernosti poslodavcu. Ukazano je i na problem nepreciznog opisa sadržine otkaznog razloga koji se sastoji u zloupotrebi prava na odsustvo zbog privremene sprečenosti za rad, a, zatim i na neuređenost kontrole korišćenja prava na odsustvo i neusklađenost merodavnih odredaba radnog i socijalnog zakonodavstva.

Paid sick leave is a significant benefit to every employee who is absent from work because of illness. However, this benefit is accompanied with a risk of abuse. For this reason, labour and social legislation provides many measures in order to effectively control and manage sick leave (employee's reporting obligation concerning incapacity for work, employer's request for an expert opinion in order to eliminate doubts about the employee's incapacity for work, random checks on diagnosis of incapacity for work made by health care service, control of the employee's behaviour during his/her absence from work, etc.). Furthermore, in cases of abuse of sick leave, the health insurance organization can suspend the payment of wages compensations, while the employer has a right to dismissal for misconduct if employee has undertaken any act that has delayed recovery (and lengthened the period of wage compensation payment). The author emphasizes problems related to the abuse of the right to paid sick leave, and concludes that domestic legislator has not adopted legislation governing control of the employee's behaviour during his/her absence from work. This situation raises many questions and cause uncertainty, so the next step in regulation of temporary inability to work for medical reasons should eliminate the uncertainty connected with the meaning and evidence of sick leave abuse in Serbian labour and social law. The author concludes that the essential aim in combating sick leave abuse should be to prevent employees to enjoy any advantages from their abusive acts and to ensure that employees should only use paid sick leave if it is justified and for as long as necessary.