Workers unite over cuts plan
Friday 24th July 2009, 3:00PM BST.
Chief Minister Terry Le Sueur
Workers from almost every part of the public sector have demanded showdown talks with ministers over plans to cut £17m worth of services in the 2010 Business Plan.
And representatives of manual workers, civil servants, police, nurses and teachers say they will discuss ‘options for collective industrial action’.
The message was sent this morning by the associations to Chief Minister Terry Le Sueur and the members of the States Employment Board, which is the formal employer of the 6,654 public sector staff in Jersey.
It said that at a meeting last night, deep concern was expressed by public service employee representatives over the proposed cuts in services and an urgent meeting with the States Employment Board was requested.
‘In the interim we will be going back to our associations to discuss options for collective industrial action,’ said the statement.
Senator Le Sueur said that he could not comment on the message until he had fully considered it.
Read the full story in the Jersey Evening Post. Click here for subscription details. Individual editions are also available online.
Travel
To, from and around the Island
Airport Arrivals & Departures
Harbours Arrivals & Departures
Bus Information & Timetables
JOIN US ON...
Facebook and Twitter
Follow us on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter
Got a story? Get in touch
BIRD WATCH 2012
Click here to record your results
The 11th Great Garden Bird Watch took place over the weekend, Saturday 4 and Sunday 5 February. JEP readers were asked to get on board to help monitor bird life in the Island.
This is Jersey
Jersey Evening Post
Useful links
“Senator Le Sueur said that he could not comment on the message until he had fully considered it”.
Come on Tezza listen to the people, these services cannot be cut although I understand that some already have and redundancies announced.
I’ve heard of teachers, postmen, ambulance drivers and various office based staff being made redundant, strangely no politicians though.
Report abuse
Out of interest did states members receive a pay rise this year?
Report abuse
Anything that can bring about the downfall of this totally arrogant States has my backing!!!
Report abuse
So the States workers are going to hold the island to ramsom it would appear. What about the rest of us who have had a wage freeze this year. We have to grin and bear it or find alternitive employment!
Report abuse
typical unions,not trying to help the situation just out to make it worse
Report abuse
We all have had to take cuts recently, so why not them? Just when we need them they are going to strike. For that, they should all be sacked. Our bin men in an easterly parish don’t deserve a pay rise as they are always moody and rude.
I must also say however that I wouldn’t trust TLS and his cronies to run a public toilet let alone the states. They are all abysmal.
Report abuse
If all the wasted surveys, over paid heads of departments, wastage and blatant mistakes were addressed first then unions and the public would be inclined to support these cuts and understand the reasons for them. Right now, it seems the needy, vulnerable and low paid are being made to pay over and over again for the council of ministers failings.
Good luck everybody, more and more essential services will be cut soon to help justify the next batch of foul ups and believe it…they will be revealed in the vey near future.
Report abuse
Well is this a surprise to anyone? The States are going to have to tread warily now or things are really going to become very interesting. People are becoming more and more angry with what is happening in Jersey. It will be interesting to see how chief minister terry wriggles out of this situation…..
Report abuse
Public sector workers apparently demand showdown talks with ministers over planned cuts in the 2010 business plan or threaten industrial action.Threats, akin to blackmail are not the way out of this global economic crisis.All of us in this island,including public sector workers, have a bitter pill to swallow and the sooner we confront reality, the better.
Report abuse
I work for one of the aforementioned departments. I would like to clarify for 4,5,6 and 9 that the unions are not threatening action lightly. It is not about our pay freeze. What hasn’t been conveyed very well by the media is that every employee right down to junior trainee level has identified areas where money could be saved and expressed those to their managers respectively. However, because most of these proposed cost cutting measures would involve removing the perks of senior managers, they are being ignored. Meanwhile, we can see that the general public and our colleagues are going to be adversely affected by all of this. All we want is for our voices to be heard and for our proposals to be considered by the council of ministers before the general public are affected by services being cut to less than acceptable levels!
Report abuse
Cut down on the chiefs and employ more workers simple really. One chief equates to maybe 10 workers. What would the public prefer workers or pen pushers?
Empire builders need cutting down to size, unfortunately a smaller empire results in a pay cut doesn’t it? Will this be considered? I would have to say no therefore the public will suffer with reduced services.
Disheartened since when has the management ever listened to the workers especially when it might affect their salaies and jobs? I whole heartedly agree with what you say though.
Report abuse
Im not suprised they are cutting staff. Pay Freeze?…ha they get enough already, but it seems strange they are doing it now…
Report abuse
“Senator Le Sueur said that he could not comment on the message until he had fully considered it.”
He clearly didn’t get where he is today without his dynamic personality and ability to think on his feet…
Our glorious leader!
Report abuse
Adrian – agree completely – far too many senior staff in most States Departments.
Report abuse
But Nellie, comptroller swinson’s report says he found no widespread inneficiencies,and that the states was not an organisation with too many bosses,describing the management layer as “thin” Just ask any of the real workers, who is it that is playing golf by 3-30 many afternoons, how out of touch their bosses really are, and why they seem to have bred like rabbits flooding office space to overflow.that’s to say nothing of the “Experts” and reports gathering dust on shelves……Oh and by the way who is it that pays the comptroller for these figures and opinions…ah yes.
Report abuse
Adrian, your first paragraph sums up the problem in almost all Governments that exist today. Everyone knows it except those that are desperately creating pencil-pushing jobs for themselves.
Report abuse
#16 Leah Holmes (1.45am…have you tried Nytol tablets to help you sleep?) Adrian and you have hit the nail on the head…too many cheifs and not enough indians.
The administrators and bean counters create too many ‘nothing jobs’ for bureaucratic nonsense – don’t ever expect them to do away with this scheme…Turkeys will never vote for Christmas.
Remember, If you work hard and do your best, you’ll get the boot just like the rest. But if you laze and fool about, you’ll live to see the job right out.The work is hard, the pay is small so take your time and damn ‘em all.
Report abuse
I say PRIVATISE the States. We could save, in my opinion, at least 25% on annual spend.
Report abuse
Cynical Sid [7] – Perhaps the public should start to examine just which politicians are calling for all these reports and which ones are asking many seemingly pointless questions. Certainly to the cynical many of these seems to have more to do with point scoring and self publicity than an honest debate. Given that recently some very detailed questions have been asked in the States and the politician asking has not even bothered to turn up to receive the answer is in my mind evidence of this. It must be remembered that the answer to each question, no matter how simple has to be properly resurched and documented which is undertaken by Civil Servants. Even a very simple question probably costs many thousand of pounds in time and diverts manpower and resources from more productive and essential services.
Perhaps if we do have too many politicians?
Report abuse
Job losses for everyone except for those in power….how did we not see this comin!! ha!!
Less and less for those who work their fingers to the bone everyday and yet the poloiticians are still sitting pretty!! Get em all out i say!! Let them try and get a regular job and a regular wage like the rest of us and see how upset they would be at cutting costs!! They dont seem to give a damn about anyone else really, they pay no attention to what the working class are asking or saying and just get on with what they think is ok!! What a load of rubbish!! There will be strikes left right and centre!!
Report abuse
“I say PRIVATISE the States. We could save, in my opinion, at least 25% on annual spend”.
Brilliant! Did you just pluck that figure out of the air for effect? Because we all know, of course, that the privitisation of British Telecom, British Airways and British Rail in the UK worked, didn’t it? Their customers/passengers are all 25% better off now with improved services aren’t they?
Aren’t they? Oh.
Report abuse
bonjour nellie j aimerais te parler ;; yes to many peuples in top and they got good money ;in france the worker earn not more the 1200 euros the monnth after deduction obligatoire taxe
Report abuse
Why can’t we, the public, sue them for misuse of our tax money? It’s not their money, it’s ours, and they are either throwing it away or pocketing it!!
Don’t these politicians work for us? Aren’t they public servants?
Well then let’s sack the lot and hire others who could do a much better job….
Report abuse
We, the public, need to regain control.
The politicians in Jersey are not interested in what we want or have to say.
Report abuse