Manual Workers Demand A £1000 pay rise and a decrease in working hours

[Sarah Ferguson]

The lower grades of the States workers are paid considerably more - like on average 25% - than their equivalent in the private sector.  See the Emerging Issues report by the Comptroller and Auditor General in May last year.  There is also a report being prepared for the Chief Minister for an up to date report on this.

[Norman_Point]

Is it true that 6.6% of the total population of Jersey is on the States' payroll?

Could someone either confirm or deny this, please?

[Mark Forskitt]

Is it true that 6.6% of the total population of Jersey is on the States' payroll?

Could someone either confirm or deny this, please?

I don't have current figures. In December 2000, 11.6% of the workforce were employed in States non-trading committees.  If the workforce is 60% of the total population, then your 6.6% figure seems plausible.  

[debumblebee]

I didn't know anything about this story but blimey, we are in the middle of a recession, people are not even taking holidays at the moment and some are just keeping their heads down until things start to pick up again which will probably happen in early 2010.

So a proposal like this is incredibly cheeky under the circumstances and I am not surprised that people in the private sector are frothing from the mouth about it, and if States manual workers think they can get a better deal in the private sector then why don't they just move then?

[stoofa]

Given the current economic climate its a bit preposterous isn't it.

There may be a certain element of gameplaying here though - distract the powers that be with a few demands you have no intention of actually pushing through, and maybe it'll take their eye off the 'headcount reductions' and 'efficiency savings' for a while...

[debumblebee]

I can imagine there still being some lay offs despite these wage proposals being thrown out.