Call for States pension savings
Thursday 30th July 2009, 3:00PM BST.
Deputy Sean Power
STATES Members should be looking at serious cost-cutting and not letting senior civil servants play games by proposing the end of smaller services that make a real difference to Islanders’ lives, according to one Deputy.
Final salary pensions for senior public sector workers also need to be stopped, says Deputy Sean Power.
The Deputy says that he is taking soundings from colleagues on ending lucrative final salary deals for public sector staff because he says that the Island just cannot afford them.
And he says that with structural deficits of around £50m looming, Members should be looking at serious cuts, not letting senior civil servants play games.
• See Thursday’s JEP for full story.
Read the full story in the Jersey Evening Post.
Click here for subscription details.
Individual editions are also available online.
The Queen's Diamond Jubilee
JEP Jubilee Editions
Saturday 2 June: Guide to Celebrations
Wednesday 6 June: Souvenir of Events
View The Queen in Jersey supplement
Travel
To, from and around the Island
Airport Arrivals/Departures
Harbours Arrivals/Departures
Bus Information/Timetables
This is Jersey
Jersey Evening Post
Useful links
well done sean, good luck with getting the support from others in the house about this matter.
lets see the dog wag the tail and not the tail wag the dog.
Report abuse
Well said Deputy Power. But I think too many of the states members are in the pockets of the rich. The cancellation of final salary pensions will cause little trouble to those who are due them as they tend to be the higher earners.
How about tax at 30% on all earnings above 50k, Gordon Brown increased tax for the rich, will Terry Le Sueur?
Report abuse
At last someone is seeing the real problem it is no good cutting services that just hurt the public and ignore the real problems which is states spending especially salaries and pension, grossly inefficient working practises i.e., the Treasury department and the Euro fiasco, engaging numerous consultants on huge salaries to do the work that should be done by the civil servants. I really do hope that other ministers support Mr Power and finally have the courage to take on the civil service which is the real drain on the Islands resources and threat to our financial future.
Report abuse
Perhaps a statement of how much does it cost the public when Civil Servants get promoted 18 months prior to retirement, substantially inflating what they then receive in their “Final Pay” pension.
Report abuse
Good luck mate!
You are taking on the most powerful of all the vested interests in Jersey.
Not only that but they have strong links to the League Of Secret Squirrels in Stopford Road and the Windsor Soup Club opposite the Fish Market!
Report abuse
At last a Politician talking sense.
I just hope a majority of our elected representatives support this and for once listen to what the public (or ay least the majority of posters on this site) are constantly saying.
Report abuse
My employer ceased final salary pensions about 3-years ago its about time the States operated in the real world!
Report abuse
How would any of you “I’m all right” pension bashers like to retire on a pension based on your starting salary for instance?
No doubt you would accept it based on making savings in the public interest.
Some chance!
Report abuse
I entirely agree. As said on the radio, the ministers and senior civil servants in charge of departments do not want to have their budgets cut and to avoid cuts are using ‘yes minister’ tactics, one of which is to put forward cuts in services which will annoy the end users, the public, employees and unions the most, in the hope that their budget will remain intact.
A good start would be to look at the final salary pensions and retirement ages. An across the board salary reduction would also be an option if redundancies are to be avoided.
If the people in charge of departments cannot, or choose not to, put forward sensible cost savings then they should be the first to go.
Report abuse