Staffside said that they were due to meet representatives from the States on Wednesday afternoon but left after waiting for 45 minutes as no one arrived.
The missed meeting comes amid growing tension between the States and civil servants over pay and conditions, and follows the scrapping of a workforce modernisation project designed to overhaul how States departments are run.
The programme, which was rejected by unions, would have involved a £47 million investment, which would have seen all States staff become subject to one set of terms and conditions and a standardised pay scheme. However, the States were told to go back to the drawing board after several unions rejected the offer, claiming the deal would lead to a reduction in real-terms pay for thousands of workers and leave many more with worse working conditions.
Terry Renouf, chairman of Staffside and Prospect union’s JCSA branch, said: ‘This is a clear indication to Staffside that once again the employer is not sincere about wanting to negotiate with staff representatives in line with agreed timescales. The new chief executive of the States of Jersey has publicly acknowledged staff are the greatest asset of this organisation and the events today totally undermine that position.’
He added that the failure to attend the meeting came after a number of delays in completing annual pay negotiations.
A States spokesperson said: ‘The relevant officials on the employer’s side were unfortunately stuck in a mediation meeting, which overran. It was not possible to leave that meeting, but Staffside representatives had been warned in advance that this might happen. Apologies have been offered and another meeting is being arranged.’
