From Dick Shenton.
ON Wednesday 30 of our elected States representatives voted to suspend the debate on the Woolworths redundancies.

This procedure is a cowardly way to prevent free speech, as no debate is allowed on the proposition. It is used by States Members who can’t be bothered to do the right thing – in this case to recognise the hardship and anxiety of low-paid workers caused by the failure of our States to protect them.

Shop workers are notoriously badly paid, work longer hours than States and finance employees and do not get the conditions of employment such as pensions (some index-linked), generous holidays and in many cases generous bonuses.

They are not members of a trade union who always look after their own, and if they tried to introduce a closed shop they would be shown the door. Their contract of employment is an employer’s charter and they have no say: just sign it or go. That is the reality of life in Jersey for vulnerable workers, mainly female or school leavers with no one to turn to.

The debate in the House was sickening, with some Members plumbing the depths with their sanctimonious attitude. At times like this we are treated to speeches by those who are concerned that it is taxpayers’ money when the next minute they are off on junkets and seminars and proposing outrageous schemes with no expense spared.

Another excuse put forward was, what about those people who have been made redundant in the past? This is a good one, because it is never qualified as to who the employee was and what their circumstances were. If we were to follow this line of thought, society would never advance because there is always someone who misses out. The expressions of sympathy were always followed by ‘I cannot support this proposition’. I’m all right John or Terry or Philip.

What they did was unforgivable because it condemned those Woolworths people to another two weeks of anxiety with regard to their income and in some cases their accommodation. Jersey has suffered some bad publicity in the UK press, unfairly in my opinion, but this time with the right leadership we could have grabbed the headlines with the message that we are looking after our own people who have been exploited by a large company, its shareholders and accountants.

We should have made available a loan to each employee and fought their case as a united Island. We should amend the Regulation of Undertakings Law to make companies who trade here honour worker protection.
Finally, we should attempt to bring back respect for the States by ensuring that the Chief Minister and the Bailiff should walk across the Royal Square and assure the workers that we are one Island undivided in their hour of need.
Obama would.
2 Seascape,
Grande Route de la Côte,
St Clement.