Further industrial action possible if new offer is rejected

Further industrial action possible if new offer is rejected

Hundreds of civil servants went on strike on Friday and yesterday in the long-running dispute over pay.

Services which were affected included blood testing and donor collection services, Customer and Local Services as well as Customs and Immigration.

The States said that 222 staff – around 7% of the 3,000 civil service staff – were absent on Friday due to taking part in the strike action with a similar number estimated to have been off yesterday.

Union members are currently being balloted on a new offer. The ballot will close on Friday 6 September at midday.

However, Unite the Union representative Brett Sparkes said the offer still ‘isn’t good enough’.

The latest offer, which would come into effect in 2020, equates to 1.3% plus inflation as it stands in October 2019. Inflation for October is currently forecast to be 3.1%.

The offer also includes working with unions to identify potential new savings which would then be split to fund additional salary increases in 2020.

Mr Sparkes added: ‘The SEB’s latest offer included the suggestion of increasing the working week from 37 hours to 37.5 hours, which we rejected.

‘However, they also took away the previously agreed offer of an additional
2.8 days’ annual leave, which we hadn’t asked them to do.’

Last week the SEB sent a four-page letter to more than 3,000 civil servants to update them on the situation and explain the process of the negotiations with the two unions, Prospect and Unite.

Mr Sparkes said that the SEB falsely blamed the unions for holding up negotiations in the letter.

‘The SEB’s approach has been unusual and quite frustrating and it feels like there isn’t a willingness to negotiate. It looks as though they have some red lines that they have decided they won’t move on.

‘And it feels like we are not getting anywhere despite making several attempts to find a settlement.’

In the letter, co-signed by group director for
People and Corporate Services Mark Grimley and SEB vice-chairman Constable Richard Buchanan, the pair insist the latest offer is the best that can be negotiated.

The letter said: ‘The trade unions have decided to go back out to ballot their members on the revised offer. The unions have said that they will remain neutral, neither calling for acceptance nor rejection of the offer.

‘However, the language of their communications to members, along with their insistence in continuing with planned industrial action, suggests that they are far from neutral in their approach.

‘Yet they know, as do we, that this final offer is the best that can be negotiated.

‘It is also an opportunity to achieve the first negotiated agreement on a pay offer since 2011 between civil service unions and SEB.’

The letter concludes by saying any civil servants who want to share their views on the offer can do so by emailing employmentrelations@gov.je.

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