Peter Hughes, the Unite the union representative for the south-west, including the Channel Islands, was due to visit the Island on Wednesday to meet senior shop stewards. He has accused the States of being ‘austerity-obsessed’, despite the Island having a wealthy economy driven by financial and legal services.
About £70 million worth of staffing cuts were agreed by States Members within the 2015 Medium Term Financial Plan as part of plans to plug a £145 million shortfall in Jersey’s finances by 2019. And the States also unveiled a workforce modernisation programme as part of a project to streamline and create savings in the public sector by cutting jobs and outsourcing some public services.
In a statement Unite says that it is ‘throwing down the gauntlet’ to the States and ‘will
not tolerate’ proposed cuts to its members’ incomes.
It says: ‘The modernisation programme of the States of Jersey government, the Island’s largest employer, envisages that its workforce, such as teaching assistants, gardeners, road sweepers and nurses, could be faced with a pay freeze for the next three years and following that a reduction in pay of up to £2,500 per year.
‘Peter Hughes is flying to Jersey to put down a strong marker that Unite won’t tolerate swingeing cuts to its 2,500 members’ incomes.’
Mr Hughes said that austerity should not be an issue in ‘prosperous Jersey’.
‘We believe that Jersey’s government is using “austerity” as a smokescreen to implement further cuts to its workforce’s pay and terms and conditions,’ he said.
‘It is our members who provide the bedrock services that the public rely on, such as health and education.
‘Unite is recommending that the members reject the government’s offer, which will also have detrimental effects on pensions and collective-bargaining arrangements.
‘If the government persists in this flawed policy, we will be giving serious consideration to taking industrial action to defend our members’ living standards.’
