The trade union ATGWU has criticised a report that says civil servants in Northern Ireland have unacceptable levels of sick leave.
The Public Accounts Committee say staff in the Department of Regional Development's (DRDNI), mostly employed in the Water Service and the Roads Service, took an average of 20 days in 2001-2002, compared to 12 days for industrial civil servants in Britain.
Mr Edward Leigh, chairman of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), said about £840,000 could be saved if levels were reduced to those in Britain.
However the union which represents workers in these services is furious at the comparison.
Mr Albert Mills, industrial organiser for the ATGWU
Mr Albert Mills, the industrial organisr for the ATGWU, told ireland.com: "I'd like to know where the PAC got the figures for comparison because, as far as I know there are not many industrial civil servants left in Britain - their jobs have all been privatised.
"It's not comparing like with like. Our members are the workers who are up in the middle of the night, throughout the winter, gritting and maintaining roads. The water workers will be digging up roads and replacing pipes in all weathers. On top of that there is no consideration of the stress they are under working in the interface areas.
"In my opinion this is a blatant attack on civil servants who are seen as fair game in terms of jobs cuts."
Mr Mills said that part of the problem is the way that sick days are calculated. "If somone is off sick on a Friday and Monday then they are counted as taking four days sick leave.
"Since April, draconian new measures have been introduced to monitor sick absences. This means that after four days workers have a choice, either go into work sick or put yourself through, what amounts to, a disciplinary procedure."
Mr Mills believes this is part of an attack on the civil service as a whole.