Call for States powers to block high salaries
Thursday 24th February 2011, 3:00PM GMT.
Deputy Roy Le Hérissier
STATES Members could be given the power to block public sector salaries over £100,000 under a new proposal to crackdown on spiralling civil service pay packets.
Deputy Roy Le Hérissier yesterday lodged a proposition calling for details of all potential jobs with salaries over £100,000 to be circulated to politicians at least 15 days before the vacancy is advertised.
Members could then submit changes to the potential contract, and then formally block it if a minister refuses to accept the amendments.
It follows a similar proposal by Eric Pickles, the UK’s Minister for Communities and Local Government, who said that councillors should be asked to approve all salaries above £100,000.
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
KIT 4 CLUBS
Win a share of £10,000
2012 is the year of the London Olympics and to celebrate this great event the Jersey Evening Post, in association with sponsors Ogier is giving all sporting clubs a chance to win a share of £10,000.
This is Jersey
Jersey Evening Post
Useful links
Deputy Roy Le Hérissier, as well as being a voice of reason & humanity in Jersey, is someone who comes up with common sense ideas for the problems we all face.
Why isnt he being spoken of as a potential First Minister? He won’t patronise people or stab them in the back as certain others have!
I’d vote for him and I know a lot of people in Jersey would too. If only we had an open and fair election for our next Chief Minister instead of a secret ballot. Then we’d have some leadership instead of management in these difficult times.
Report abuse
Well done Roy. Fight the good fight, we can not spend money we do not have.
Report abuse
Easy way to save the ‘valuable’ time of the States Members and negate any need for them to discuss any possible amendments, and that is to cap any public sector salary to £100,000
Report abuse
It should not be just salaries in excess of £100K. It should be the total remuneration package including pension scheme contributions, perks and all costs met by the public. And don’t forget bonuses – they should not be earned by extraordinary merit rather than being the norm and should be subject to similar scrutiny. Will this be the case? Fat chance. Regardless of scrutiny there should be an absolute ceiling in public-service pay. I wonder just how many wouldd jump ship. Not enough – they have a far too cushy number, and they know it. And let’s include all those on contract, regardless of the term. Far too many
and escaping and form of scrutiny.
Report abuse
Although living costs are higher, we must remember that in the UK taxes are approaching 50% for the rich, in Jersey they up to 20%, making £100,000 a much higher salary. In this light is is not a good idea to look at salaries above £80,000.
Report abuse
Let the vote for chief minister be made by the public as one part of the general election.
Deputy Le Herissier is one of the best we have but has been sidestepped for a senior ministerail post too often.
Report abuse
Well done Roy…just what is needed….I suspect you may be joined at the end of the year by the other Roy…we’ll have to wait and see,for like you he is a no nonsense Jerseyman.
Report abuse
Made this comment a week ago on these comments pages referring to Eric Pickles MP (UK) stating the same for the UK civil servants salaries over £100k to be vetted by ELECTED members.
Report abuse
Sounds good but Herrissier hasn’t thought about this properly for 2 reasons:
1. This is the start of eroding ministerial power because it opens the door to the States making decisions about departments instead of ministers. Before anti establishment posters shout ‘hooray’ if the States start making decisions for the minister the minister is no longer responsible or accountable for the decision. So if something goes wrong in a department who is to blame? Without accountability you will get poorer decision making.
2. There are justifications for salaries in excess of £100,000 in the public sector. If you limit salary you are limiting potential candidates and to prove the fact you only have to look how many incompetent States members we have on a ceiling of £45,000.
Report abuse
Yes, and also get the excess paid already refunded!
Report abuse
#6 Very good idea. Alternatively there should be a system across the board where for every organisation the minimum salary cannot be less than 1/x of the highest salary (all benefits and bonuses being included in the calculation). The States could set the value of ‘x’ for different industries (since the range in pay within a hospital, for instance, should be more than the range in pay within a finance company).
If companies want to give benefits on top of this they could offer company shares (if available) and this then encourages staff to help the company succeed.
It is time to get salaries back to having a sensible range.
Report abuse
It is always ironic when free-market supporters start criticising civil service pay packets – especially as their justification for sky-rocketing executive pay increases is that this is what the market dictates and you have to pay market rates to attract talent. Why should civil service pay be an exception to the free market rule?
What this really is, is the deflection of intelligent discourse concerning the lunacy of private industry’s pay policies. – especially within the finance industry.
What we should be discussing is a mechanism for ensuring that jobs of equal value are paid at equal rates – whether they be public or private sector.
Report abuse
good luck roy, you will find public support.
you and ben should team up.
Report abuse
Well said Deputy Roy Le H.
You are one of the few with real integrity.
Report abuse
What I like about Roy is his lack of pretence and spin. Not to forget his integrity
Well educated unlike some of our amateur politicans who are full of bull. First minister material ? Of course !
It would do the island a great deal of good in many ways. Refreshing !
Report abuse
Politicians, albeit mostly amateur local councillors,on around £45,000 per annum,whom have no island wide mandate, now want to vet any civil service salary over £100,000 and subject it to a vote in the States. They have already exceeded their powers in removing a quarter of the island wide mandate and it is time to petition the Privy Council for an independent electoral commission.
Report abuse
Usual ill thought out comments from the ‘I’ve never managed to earn more than £25K’ brigade so noone else should.
You get what you pay for (in most cases).
Report abuse
My favourite so far “Jersey is a fools paradise which is circulating the island big time!!gossip picks up quickly here as we know . what a shame we live in a drink and drug addicted island that used to be so great, only talking today about the great times Jersey used to have in the good old 80,s jersey has killed its self big time and will never improve! we all agree ? yes? rich people have ruined the island now. good job i have a job and ba and flybe take my wages out for a good time!!
Report abuse
The obvious is that the Minister responsible should be blocking these appointments where appropriate. Put their stamp on proceedings. Where there is a top level, high-profile appointment, the Minister should report to the States on a regular basis as to how successful (or not) the appointment has been.
Report abuse
God’s Mentor: Spot on comments. Just becuase someone else hasn’t improved themselves and enabled to contribute extensively to society and be remunerated for this dedication, many people in Jersey think no-one else should.
As a result, Jersey will end up with below par candidates and therefore disasters as a result.
Roy is just playing the popular card, and anyone with a semblance of a brain won’t support such a stupid idea!
It is playing to the dog whistle…
Report abuse
What I love about Roy, is that he’s so shy-retiring, and quiet-spoken. And he’s achieved such a lot, for example, um – well, he’s achieved a lot, so there.
Report abuse
Meerkat #3 – I’m with you regarding a cap. And Annie #5 your comment is valid, too. Joker #9, what you say regarding accountability is correct, or would be, but when was anyone in the States ever accountable for anything – just think of the fx fiasco when Treasury failed to
hedge the falling pound (actually, I’d rather not remind myself just how much that cost all of us).
Report abuse
18. yep we are all using the term “Jersey is a fools paradise” and yes it is circulating the island big time!!and when out of the island its spreading out too!
Report abuse
Roy would make an excellent Chief Minister, however, due to the undemocratic method of elections in Jersey (light years behind Europe) where it only takes a few cronies to select a Chief Minister then Roy has no chance as he is not one of the “Brethern” or the “Inner Circle”
Report abuse
We need some north africa type protests? yes? we live in a dictatorship too! don,t we? come on spread it round lets hit the streets!!!!
Report abuse
25 @ protest. I am assuming Mummy and Daddy have left their computer on and you have written on it. You should know this is a grown ups forum…
Of course, if you ARE an adult and comparing Jersey with countries where people are machine gunned in their hundreds for dissent, you just have the mind of a child. No grown up would be that stupid, would they…?
Report abuse
Roy Le Herissier is a very modest man, indeed he has a lot to be modest about .. (coincidently, Winston Churchill used these exact words in reference to a Mr Atlee)
Report abuse
“Without accountability you will get poorer decision making.” Joker #9
There’s no accountability now!
No-one ever takes responsibility for poor decisions. they simply “learn lessons and move on” to the next disaster.
Report abuse
Leah Holmes, oh dear oh dear. You have extended a public sector issue (what politicians do with our money) into a private sector issue (what people do with their own money). There is minimum wage legislation in place now, across all sectors, to protect the lower paid. Any artificial limitation on what private shareholders can pay their top management with their own money is sinister, spiteful, and spectacularly stupid. You really would wipe out the Finance sector overnight – if that’s what you want, well that’s your opinion.
Report abuse
I see that Le Herissier is playing the popular card. Well done, shows he has a little more political aptitude than most of his colleagues.
Whilst I do have a deal of respect for the man I cannot condone his sentiments. I’m very much in favour of seeing quality being rewarded correctly. Probably why I can’t stand to see the likes of Macon earning 45k..
In short, I consider myself to be a naturally political person, studied a great deal of political philosophy at one of the best universities in the world and would see a career in politics/civil service to be a rather natural progression.
Why I haven’t gone into this career is simple. Renumeration is, on the whole, rather poor. I’m currently working in a career where I’d be a downright failure if I’m not earning £100k by the time I’m 30. No pull factor for civil service there, which is a shame, because my track record dictates that I would be able to provide quality (No need to list my achievements on here but I’m happy to brag safe in the knowledge that it’s true)
Secondly, I’d be working with a bunch of fools. At least in the career I’m in everyone in the office has a degree… you can’t say that about the civil service over here.
Renumeration = talent = success.
I’m awaiting a bit of banker bashing from someone who doesn’t fully grasp economics now…
Report abuse
There is only one job that comes anywere near £100K. The dept that spends the most. The COE of health, problem is she running a cottage hospital which in a small town in the Uk you would have a nurse in charge, and she has brought in 3 managers, all on mega bucks, they have each appointed two managers each, yes, worth over £100 each and they have all got PA’s. Now they are all moving offices, to nice new suites. So far we have paid over £1.750,000 and all that has happened is seven Nurses got sacked…..because they cost too much. The COM sure know what they are doing. Role on October and remeber the fools who vote against Roy’s Proposal.
Report abuse
Mondieu 30…the naturally political person
You are exactly the type of political beast Jersey doesn’t need. You are one of those individuals who assumes that having a degree equates to intelligence and not having one the opposite.
Let me remind you of a certain George W. Bush, who has degrees from both Yale and Harvard (obviously, the Ivy League system is not what it used to be), who once said:
“Our enemies are innovative and resourceful, and so are we. They never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people, and neither do we.”
The only good thing G.W.Bush (with his degrees) managed to do during his eight years at the top was to give the world some of the most comical video footage ever!
Report abuse
God what a complete mess this Island is in!!!!!!
The new developer of Death is going to get paid over £2000 a day to destroy our Island and sell our property to her mates.
Nice work if you can get it………..
Report abuse
Whilst it may seem counter intuitive, I for one am glad to see that our general hospital is run by a civil servant who is competent enough to command such a high salary.
What many fail to consider is that should an incompetent person be placed at the head of such a critical organisation (health and social consumes 26p of every tax pound) the cost to the island will far exceed the cost of a decent salary.
Report abuse
Is Orpheus not tending to your every whim dear Eurydice?
I must make amends to your assumption of me, in that I believe having a worthwhile degree from a world leading university does equate intelligence.
Congratulations on noting that George Bush attended university and made mistakes. Last time I checked, being a great orator was not necessary indicative of ‘intelligence’ – unless you seem to have a lot of faith in Hitler, for example?
Report abuse
Mondieu 35
Oh well, discussion over, you mentioned Hitler…Godwin’s law!
So much for your resplendent Tecla-bright qualities…
Report abuse
Eurydice,
It’s a shame that someone with such rapier wit as yours lacks the foresight to see my evocation of Godwin’s law as an attempt to bait you further.
Despite the discussion being over as per your suggestion, you couldn’t quite help yourself.
You are indeed a silly sausage, unless of course your name would suggest that you might have studied classics at a worthwhile university.
Report abuse