A BURNLEY councillor has been called upon to "apologise unreservedly" to female council employees after claiming they were more often sick than men.

Burnley Trades Council unanimously agreed to condemn the remarks made by Independent councillor Harry Brooks at a council meeting.

He was commenting on a stress survey by the personnel unit which found that over the year 3.4 per cent of staff had time off work for stress or stress-related conditions.

Coun Brooks described the condition as "taking sickies".

A statement from Tom Fallows, branch secretary for the General Municipal and Boilermakers Union, and Peter Thorne, branch secretary of Unison, says: "Burnley Trades Union Council condemns Coun Harry Brooks' remarks concerning stress suffered by some Burnley Council employees.

"His innuendo - that claims of employees using stress as an excuse to take time off work - is deplorable and is likely to put further pressure on individuals who are subject to this terrible affliction by causing further anxiety to troubled minds. "The Trades Council calls on Coun Brooks to refrain from commenting on subjects that clearly he knows little or nothing about.

"This Trades Council is particularly appalled at his allegations that women are more often sick that men and therefore shouldn't be employed. We call upon Coun Brooks to apologise unreservedly to the council's women employees."

Women council workers also demanded a formal apology from the councillor and town hall bosses wrote to all 800 council staff apologising for Coun Brooks' "outrageous" remarks.

The letter, from Coun Stuart Caddy, Burnley Council leader, and chief executive Roger Ellis, says at the next full council meeting Coun Brooks will be called upon to make a formal apology.

Coun Brooks said he had been quoting from figures issued by the council and was being accused of making remarks he had never made. He will be writing to all members on the issue.

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