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Five of Jersey’s top politicians are facing a vote of no confidence over the way they’ve dealt with the ‘sacking’ of a top hospital surgeon.
It's being brought by Deputy Mike Higgins, who is alleging the five – Senators Ian Gorst, Alan Maclean and Andrew Green, and Constables Juliette Gallichan and Michel Le Troquer – have behaved in a "shabby" way towards the eye surgeon, Amar Alwitry.
Just days before expecting to taking up a new post as a consultant ophthalmologist at Jersey’s General Hospital Mr Alwitry was told his contract was being terminated. Since then a number of investigations have been launched into what actually happened, and to apportion blame.
In July 2016 the States of Jersey Complaints Board (SCB) came out in favour of Mr Alwitry in what Deputy Higgins describes as "one of the most damning reports" he’s read since becoming a States member.
The States Employment Board (SEB) then hit back disputing the SCB's findings. This was followed by another SCB report criticising the SEB for its rebuttal.
According to Deputy Higgins this case is only the tip of the iceberg: ‘Unfortunately, what has happened to Mr Alwitry is not an isolated incident in which States employees have been badly treated by Ministers, civil servants and the States Employment Board.
"Over the last eight years we have witnessed the way in which Mr John Day, the former Consultant Obstetrician at the hospital; Mr Simon Bellwood, a former social worker in the employ of the Health and Social Services Department; and Mr Graham Power, the former Chief Officer of the States of Jersey Police were appallingly treated and denied natural justice.”
Deputy Higgins goes on to say: “when challenged and proved wrong, Ministers have time and again promised that lessons have been learned, that processes have been changed, and that States' employees will be treated fairly in future, only to have other equally bad cases rear their heads within a very short time interval.”
Deputy Higgins believes the only way lessons will really be learned is if the States send out a strong message of disapproval to those ministers in charge.
The vote of no confidence will be debated early next year.
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