Jersey offer disappoints

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Prospect disappointed by Jersey final pay offer

Prospect has expressed its disappointment at a final offer from Jersey’s acting chief officer for a three-year pay settlement.



The offer covers the period 1 January 2012 to 31 December 2014. The offer, which provides a 1% non-consolidated lump sum award in 2012; a 1% consolidated plus a 1 % non-consolidated lump sum award in 2013, and a consolidated award equal to 4% in 2014, depending on acceptance of a modernisation agreement, is the employer’s response to a Prospect pay claim submitted on 21 October 2011 that called for a consolidated pay increase equivalent to the Retail Price Index.

Prospect negotiator Kevin McAlonan said: “The final offer falls well short of expectations. A recent survey of our Jersey membership showed a 98% rejection of a pay offer for 2012, if it did not include a consolidated basic pay increase. Furthermore while our members understand the need for modernisation they remain seriously concerned about the linkage between pay and modernisation.”

Discussions based on changes identified in a consultant’s report in September 2010 began in September 2011, but were ended by the employer in December while they reconsidered their approach.

The union executive of the Jersey Civil Service Association will now meet urgently to consider the offer. McAlonan said the union has always been prepared to cooperate with the employer on the modernisation agenda.

“The £14 million savings identified in the report can be found in other ways through joint discussion rather than by seeking to impose severe pay restraint on vital public service employees. A meeting with the acting chief executive is to take place on 18 July to discuss this,” said McAlonan.

Prospect JCSA members include key workers in important civil service areas like health and social services, housing, treasury, social security and Ports of Jersey.