At the general meeting of Efling Union, which took place last May 23, changes to the regulation of the Union’s sickness benefit fund were approved. The changes in question relate mainly to the maximum time for which sickness allowance is paid out. With the changes, the bylaws of the health fund have been moved in the direction of what is generally used by member associations of ASÍ. Still, they do not affect the rights of members already receiving sickness allowance payments.
The biggest aspect of the changes in question, which will take effect from June 1, consists of the maximum length of time members can enjoy sick leave payments was changed from 180 days to 120 days. As mentioned earlier, it is a change that is following ASÍ’s guidelines, but for many years, the rights of Eflingarfélagá have been significantly greater than those of most other members of ASÍ’s member associations.
The changes were a reaction to the deteriorating financial situation of the fund, but there has been a great demand for sick leave allowances in the last two years. The per diems and grants paid out have far exceeded the premiums paid to the fund for the past two years, and it was necessary to respond to that.