Union leader Nick Corbel

UNION leaders today condemned a report which claims that Jersey’s public-sector workers are at risk of becoming ‘demotivated, complacent and drained of ambition’.

In a strongly worded statement, Nick Corbel, of the Unite union, branded the claims ‘erroneous’ and urged ministers to distance themselves from the report.

The claims were made in an independent pay review which found that States employees at the lower end of the pay scale earned well above the market average, whereas those at the top were comparatively underpaid.

The report warned that well-paid workers at the lower end of the scale would become complacent and lack motivation to learn new skills, and that those at the top may leave the States in search of better pay.

Mr Corbel said: ‘It is an outrage to suggest that public-sector workers may become demotivated, and it is offensive to say they may drift into mediocre levels of performance as a consequence of pay levels. These are hard-working and conscientious people who always give their best to the public.’