“I regret that this offer is being implemented without agreement”

Wednesday 21 November 2018

A disputed pay deal for civil servants, teachers and uniformed services will be forced into their wage packets at the end of this month without agreement, the States Chief has announced as he once again confirmed “there is still no more money” for rises.

Meanwhile, nurses, midwives, and manual and energy workers have been given the offer of a revised offer that will see all staff within those pay categories given the same percentage pay rise, rather than having higher increases targeted at those on the lowest salaries.

The potentially divisive move to treat some categories of employee differently to others comes after months of fraught – and now failed – negotiations with unions who complained that the proposed salary increases to the island’s 6,500-strong public sector workforce didn’t keep step with rises in the cost of living in the island.

Nurses, teachers and civil servant unions had all been poised to strike as the situation hit crisis point this month.

Pictured: How Mr Parker proposes to increase the salaries of teachers, civil servants and uniformed services workers.

In his latest correspondence sent by email to all public sector workers today, States Chief Charlie Parker held firm that there was “no more money” to offer other than what was already on the table, repeating that the States had to manage a forecast £30million to £40million black hole in their finances in the coming years.

“While we’ve heard and understood the views of trade unions, this does not change the basic facts about the States’ finances, because there is still no more money available above what has already been offered. 

“Our offers represents a substantial increase in total pay costs for the States, on top of the current £359 million pay bill. The States Employment Board has confirmed that there is no more money available to increase the overall resources beyond the value of the current offers,” he said.

He therefore announced that a decision had been taken to force the proposed pay rises of 1% and 2% in 2018 and 2019 onto teachers, uniformed services and civil servants without their agreement in their November salaries “to ensure that these colleagues receive their 2018 pay increases in 2018.”

The decision came despite a warning from D'Auvergne Head Teacher Sam Cooper that teachers had "had enough of being taken for granted", with no increases to their pay despite increasing bureaucratic demands.

Pictured: Nurses, who had decided to "withdraw goodwill" as part of the ongoing dispute, are one of the groups being given a revised offer.

Mr Parker told his colleagues: “I regret that this offer is being implemented without agreement.

“However, we believe that this is the right thing to do, having factored in all feedback that we can from trade union representatives and also after hearing from some colleagues that they don’t wish to wait any longer for their 2018 pay rises.”

No more money is being pledged for those in the nursing, midwifery or manual work categories, but the States did say that they would look at restructuring how money is allocated within these groups.

Details of what this offer will look like have not yet been released, with States representatives claiming that they are still being “actively discussed” with unions. They pledged that affected employees would be informed “shortly”, however.

Senator Tracey Vallois, who is head of the States Employment Board, will be asked to approve the idea. Describing the negotiations process as “difficult and protracted”, she added that she understood the “impacts on employees of the rising cost of living in Jersey”, but that the board “also have a responsibility to all islanders to operate within the available budget.”

The States Employment Board has agreed revised pay offers for two groups of public servants & the implementing of the existing pay offer for three other groups https://t.co/a38F9TF8uh

— States of Jersey (@StatesofJersey) November 21, 2018

She added that this approach was an attempt to “strike the best balance possible between these competing pressures.”

Charlie Parker added: “The inequalities and inconsistencies that we have sought to resolve through these pay offers stretch back over years. We will continue to work with unions to seek agreement on pay wherever possible, and I look forward to productive negotiations next year to resolve the unfair historical anomalies in pay, terms and conditions once and for all. I am fully committed to the States being a good, modern employer, with rewarding jobs, which treats all of our employees fairly.” 

Although the approach is likely to draw criticism – particularly from the island’s largest civil service union Prospect, who recently argued that there was money available for pay rises, in contrast to Mr Parker’s comments – the States CEO nonetheless stated in his email that he was “committed to the States being a good employer, with rewarding jobs.”

Signing off his message to thousands of islanders, he wrote: “Thank you again for all you do for the people of Jersey.”