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	The director of the Oberstown young offenders&#39; centre has slammed claims that staff assaults resulted in 3,000 sick days last year as &quot;not realistic&quot;. Staff claim that these sick days were taken as a result of 65 attacks on them last year.</p>
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	Yesterday, workers at the secure education and accommodation unit held their first in a series of planned four-hour work stoppages.</p>
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	They are protesting at what they say are dangerous working conditions that leave them exposed to violence. But Oberstown campus director Pat Bergin disputed the figures, which equate to 46 days in sick leave per attack.</p>
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	He said: &quot;Those figures are totally incorrect. They are not realistic as they include days a staff member would not have worked anyway, because nobody works seven days out of seven and they also include people on long-term sick leave.</p>
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	&quot;We have actually reduced staff sick leave from 15pc to 7pc in the last nine months.</p>
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	&quot;A significant amount of injuries previously related to methods used in restraining people, which have now been changed.&quot;</p>
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	(Published by the Irish&nbsp;Independent on the 1st June 2016)</p>
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	<a href="http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/claim-of-oberstowns-3000-days-sick-leave-not-realistic-director-34763244.html">http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/claim-of-oberstowns-3000-days-sick-leave-not-realistic-director-34763244.html</a></p>
