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The Government has scrapped proposals to give civil servants extra holiday in exchange for a longer working week in a new offer extended to aggrieved unions.
Members of JCSA Prospect and Unite are now being balloted on the latest offer from the States Employment Board (SEB), which takes extra holiday entitlement off the table as well as the increased working week by six minutes per day - but members are being recommended to vote against, with strike action still on the cards.
The proposed extra holiday entitlement would have allowed employees with ten or more years’ service to have the same amount of time off as CEO Charlie Parker: 31 days, which translates to around six weeks off. However, the improved holiday allowances came with the added caveat of a 30 minute longer working week.
Pictured: The suggested improvements to holiday entitlement have been taken off the table in the latest offer.
Both suggestions have now been scrapped in the latest offer from the Board.
As the pay dispute passes its first anniversary, civil servants are the only remaining pay group that have not agreed a settlement with the SEB and are still planning industrial action around the summer bank holiday at the end of August.
At present, unions are reportedly not recommending a vote in favour of the latest offer from the Board and strike dates of 23 and 27 August remain in place.
A spokesperson for the SEB said that it “has made a new offer to civil servants to try to resolve the ongoing pay dispute covering 2018, 2019 and 2020. At the unions’ request, this offer removes a proposed increase to the working week of six minutes a day, which was linked to extra holiday entitlement.
Pictured: The States Employment Board is a panel of politicians who oversee staffing matters within the States.
“It also commits to a guaranteed pay increase of 1.3% above cost of living from 1 January 2020, and a further increase, to be identified jointly from new savings and efficiencies.”
The spokesperson also said that the SEB is “disappointed” that JCSA Prospect and Unite the Union – referred to collectively as Civil Service Staff Side – “are not recommending a vote in favour of it” and are maintaining the threat of industrial action.
“All available steps are being taken to minimise any impact on services," they added.
Posting on Facebook, JCSA Prospect suggested that it’s the lack of retrospective increases to the 2018/19 pay packet which is forcing them to stick by their planned strike action.
They said: “JCSA Prospect have recently informed its members that it will be balloting on a revised offer from the employer but will maintain its strikes planned for 23 and 27 August as the offer has no improvements for 2018/19 #RealTeamJersey.”
The strikes are due to take place at the following times:
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