Reform Jersey, the Island’s only political party, organised a meeting to hear people’s views about the plans passed in the States last week, which aim to plug a predicted £145 million budget shortfall by 2019.
Addressing about 60 people who had gathered at the Town Hall, Reform Jersey chairman Deputy Sam Mézec said that the policies within the Medium Term Financial Plan hit the most vulnerable in society.
But he said there was an alternative to the plans – changing the Island’s tax system, which he said only benefited the wealthy and corporations and not ordinary working people.
‘The only way you fix a structural problem is to build a new structure,’ the Deputy said. ‘Our tax system is backwards and not fit for purpose.’
Members of the audience were also invited to share their views. Nick Le Cornu, a former States Member, told Islanders that only by showing their dissatisfaction could they bring about change.
‘What will make a difference is disruption,’ he said. ‘We have to disrupt the system. We have to think about strikes. You in the public sector, that is where your power lies. Remove your labour for a day.
‘Occupy buildings. Sit-downs in the streets, block them. We have got to fight back.’
The meeting also heard from John McNichol, from the Jersey Nurses Association, who said: ‘We’ve had our protest march. We’ve had our rally. We’ve marched through the streets, written our letters and asked questions in the big house.
‘What was the response? A shrug of the shoulders. A blank stare. A patronising nod.’
He told the audience that the cuts were ‘not some act of God’ but ‘the result of the deliberate plans of successive governments that had prioritised the tax status of the few over the majority and it has to stop’.
‘How is slashing public services and dumping people out of work going to help?’ he added. ‘What kind of economic madness is that?
‘The Council of Ministers is out of touch. Their election campaigns never mentioned any of these cuts. What can you do? You can demand that your voice is heard. You can support your public-sector workers if they take strike action.’
Musician Kit Ashton, who was also on the panel, called on Islanders to take action.
‘I know it is hard after a long day of work and looking after the children to find the imagination and energy to believe in a better world – but we must,’ Mr Ashton said. ‘Challenge the culture of unquestioning deference to authority.’
He added: ‘There is a huge disconnection between the everyday folk and our government. Many States Members talk like our rulers, not our representatives.’
PUBLIC-sector unions ‘remain hopeful’ that the States Employment Board will put forward an alternative offer to this year’s proposed pay freeze.
Representatives of the Jersey Unions Council, which is made up of the public-sector unions, met States chief officers yesterday to discuss the offer. They have asked for a counter-offer to be made before their next meeting on Monday.
Earlier this year, the States announced a series of public-sector cuts, which included a pay freeze for all States workers except nurses and midwives, who will receive a 0.4 per cent rise.
And last week, the States approved the Medium Term Financial Plan which included a commitment to find £70 million in staff savings – the biggest programme of public-sector cuts in Jersey’s history.
‘We hope that they will be sensible enough to give a counter-offer and then we will look at that and see where we go from there. We remain hopeful that the SEB will reconsider.
‘It is not a simple discussion – we know that – but we are constantly trying to engage in that debate and to look more widely at the issues.’
Mr Ward added that the unions have put forward alternative proposals ‘in detail’.
He said: ‘We are also flexible about that and we are willing to have the discussion.’
Mr Ward confirmed that the chief officers are due to report back to the SEB on Monday and that the unions are scheduled to meet again immediately after that to discuss their next steps.
Yesterday, Marina Mauger of teachers’ union NASUWT, confirmed that national representatives from the unions were in the Island in an attempt to move the dispute forward.
