Nick Corbel, regional representative for Unite the Union, and Terry Renouf of JCSA Prospect both said mediation talks between the civil service unions and the States Employment Board had failed to address pay concerns for 2018 and 2019.
Large sections of the public sector have been locked in a long-running pay dispute with the States over below-inflation pay awards which have eroded the standard of living for staff.
Mr Corbel confirmed that following yesterday’s meeting, the civil service unions outright rejected the latest offer and have given the SEB one further week to come up with a fresh deal.
‘The offer did not address the 2018 and 2019 pay which is what the whole dispute relates to,’ Mr Corbel said.
‘We have asked the employer to reconsider its position and we have rejected the offer – that will not be going to ballot.’
The offer from the SEB made no change to the 2018 and 2019 awards but would have given civil servants a rise of inflation plus 1.3 per cent in 2020.
Mr Corbel said: ‘We will be considering our options again and looking at
further industrial action.
‘We have also requested another meeting with the SEB when they are due to sit again on Tuesday 19 March.
‘What we can’t understand is how they came to make a different award to other pay groups. It seems to me that our civil service members are paying for the awards of other groups which is unfair. There should be equity here and that is not the case.’
Mr Renouf said that JSCA Prospect’s position was the same as Unite’s.
‘It was our mandate to address the pay offers for 2018 and 2019 and this has not happened,’ he said.
‘We have asked the employer to come back with a changed position. From their perspective the offer may have changed but it has not addressed the pay awards for those two years.’
Earlier this year, hundreds of public sector staff walked out of work to protest against the SEB’s stance on pay.
And just this week, two teaching unions called off strike action at the last minute after re-entering negotiations with the SEB over the pay deal offered to teachers for 2018 and 2019. However, education unions have warned that strike action could still be possible if they do not receive an acceptable offer.
Mr Corbel said: ‘We have told them [the States] that we expect a response by 8 March. If none is forthcoming we will organise further industrial action.’
