A PROPOSAL calling for civil service employment contracts to explicitly prohibit lying, obstructing or misleading politicians has been rejected by Members, who argued this was covered by the existing employees’ code of conduct and disciplinary processes.
Deputy Mike Higgins had also put forward an amnesty, up until the end of June, for employees to own up to any ‘past lies, obstructions, misleading statements, and cover-ups’ and called for a review into disciplinary procedures.
He said: ‘This is not an attack on all civil servants. I hold the vast majority of the Island’s civil service in the highest regard. They work very hard, day in and day out, for the benefit of all Islanders.’
But he said he believed ‘we have developed a system of impunity in the Island’s civil service’.
Several politicians argued the changes were not necessary.
Chief Minister John Le Fondré, who chairs the States Employment Board, said any issues were dealt with by the board and that there was a code of conduct for public employees, which required them to act within the law and be accountable.
He also questioned changing thousands of employees’ contracts.
Meanwhile, St John Constable Andy Jehan said: ‘We have got plenty of tools to deal with what the Deputy has put forward. We have got to use those tools.’
Senator Tracey Vallois said it was wrong to ask people to apply for a job with the civil service ‘on the basis of mistrust’.
‘We could do much, much better in this area and I think there is plenty of room for improvement,’ she said, adding that the proposal did not address this.
Her views were echoed by Senator Ian Gorst, who said: ‘I do not think his proposition will deal with some of the issues that he has raised.’
Members voted almost unanimously against the changes to employment contracts, with only Deputy Higgins voting for and Deputy Montfort Tadier abstaining.
They voted by 27 to nine against an independent review into disciplinary policies and procedures, and almost unanimously against the proposed amnesty.
