A CHARITY has criticised politicians for an “unsightly bout of in-fighting” while price rises have caused mass food bank usage and plunged more Islanders into “devastating poverty”.
Caritas Jersey have also demanded an apology from ministers regarding the “offensive language used in the flimsy report” on the living wage – and asked them to “make good on their previous commitment to raise the minimum wage to parity with the Living Wage” before their term ends.
The charity has offered their views on the current political headlines – which have been focused on the vote of no confidence lodged by former Infrastructure Minister Tom Binet and due to be debated on Tuesday.
A letter from Caritas Jersey copied to the JEP said that recent price rises meant “more people are living in poverty in our island and having to use food banks”.
January and February, the letter says, are already the most difficult months of the year for those struggling financially as they seek to pay bills from the Christmas season and keep themselves and their families warm and fed at a time when temperatures are sub-zero.
New Year’s Day brought with it price increases for Islanders, including 12% for electricity, 10.9% for water and 5% for milk.
Even before these, the JEP reported that demand had doubled for the Salvation Army’s food parcels and electricity vouchers during 2023. And volunteers at the St Vincent de Paul food bank said that its donors had now become its clients as wages and pensions struggled to keep pace with the cost of living.
One user of Caritas says in the letter: “[Politicians] have time to talk about each other and plot and scheme as well as debating how they are elected for the umpteenth time and now arguing over who gets their name called first too and none of them seem to give a damn about people like us and call a living wage ‘undesirable’! What planet are they on?”
The letter reads: “We too had expected proper focus on these important issues as we entered the new year and indeed, hoped for an apology for the offensive language used in the flimsy report about the Living Wage.
“We are aware that many ministers were themselves annoyed and upset by the report, as evidenced by the fact only one minister was willing to put their head above the parapet and support it.”
Caritas chief executive Patrick Lynch adds: “We hoped that 2024 would see a positive change and a real focus from our politicians on the real issues for Islanders. Instead, we are being treated to another unsightly bout of in-fighting and evidence of a clear lack of concern or empathy for the everyday struggles that so many of their fellow Islanders are enduring at present.
“We ask that as soon as next week’s internal wranglings are concluded, whatever the make-up of the Council of Ministers, they immediately give long overdue focus to the devastating poverty that so many people in Jersey are now enduring.”
Mr Lynch continues: “We also ask the government to apologise for the assertion that a Living Wage is not desirable, something which therefore implies they believe poverty is desirable!”
He reasserts his desire for the government to carry out a “proper review” of the living wage and “subsequently make good on their previous commitment to raise the minimum wage to parity with the Living Wage by the end of this assembly in June 2026, for the benefit of all Islanders.”
The living wage recently rose to £13.41 but the government’s review found that raising the minimum wage to match it would not be “feasible or desirable”.
Social Security Minister Elaine Millar said that she “couldn’t agree more” with Mr Lynch regarding his stance on political in-fighting.
She said: “None of us in the Council of Ministers welcome a vote of no confidence at this time of year. It absolutely diverts attention away from the bigger issues that we would all like to be dealing with. None of us asked for this vote, nor can we control it, but we do have to respond to it.
“We want to be getting on and delivering initiatives that help the people of Jersey and when the vote is over, and hopefully it will be unsuccessful, that’s what we intend to do.”
She also said that the government had done a “huge amount of work” to help Islanders with the cost of living, such as doubling the Community Cost Bonus and increasing the minimum wage.
Deputy Millar also explained that a recent review concluded that a statutory living wage was not feasible or desirable – but that did not mean that the government would not still work to bring minimum wage more in line with living wage before their term ended.
“Our intention is still to try to raise gradually the minimum wage to two-thirds median wage, which is only 10p less than living wage, but it has to be done in a way that doesn’t upend the economy or put too much pressure on businesses.”
She added that she wanted to hear from food banks, saying: “If these organisations provided us with data on which Islanders are visiting them, how many and how often, then that would help. Without that data, I don’t know the problem and I cannot find a solution.”
