2 employees take leave for 15 years with pay, but boss unaware

Probably the longest vacation leave ever?

A driver and a gardener in the town of Jerez de la Frontera, southern Spain, were fired after their department discovered that they were regularly paid but never showed up for work for 15 years.

A report from Spanish online news site The Local said the human resources department of the General Confederation of Labor Union, a local government unit in the country, noticed in their filing system that two of their employees failed to report to duty for one and a half decades. Not even their boss noticed their prolonged absence.

“Two representatives of the General Confederation of Labor Union could have gone years without coming to work; according to a written statement by the men themselves this situation could date back 15 years,” the Jerez de la Frontera town hall wrote in a press statement.

The duo’s absences were discovered during an audit that showed they hadn’t worked a single day from January 2015 until May 2016, when the inquiry was conducted. Further investigation revealed that they had flagrantly skipped work as early as 2001.

However, their fellow employees defended the two gentlemen, explaining that their prolonged leave was a result of a “tacit agreement” with previous councilmen, wherein union members can use their “accumulated days” and share the vacation days of fellow employees, El Pais reported.

One of the men has returned to work while the other man issued a statement expounding his reasons for his 15-year leave. Both employees were terminated and are facing disciplinary proceedings.

The news broke out four months after another Spanish civil servant failed to report to work for six years although his name was still part of the monthly payroll. The government unit had not noticed his absences until he was awarded for two decades of service. Gianna Francesca Catolico/rga