States Employment Board
Annual Report
2008
1. The Constitution of the Board and changes made during the year.
1.1 For the main part of 2008, the States Employment Board (The Board) constituted of the following members:-
Senator F.H. Walker, Chief Minister (Chairman)
Senator T.A. Le Sueur, Ministers for Treasury and Resources
Senator M.E. Vibert, Minister for Education, Sport and Culture
Senator F.E. Cohen, Minister for Planning and Environment
- Deputy I.J. Gorst, as an Assistant Minister in the Chief Minister’s Department, attended Board meetings.
- On 15 December, 2008, the newly appointed Council of Ministers elected to reconstitute the Board as follows:-
Senator T.A. Le Sueur, Chief Minister (Chairman)
Senator P.F.C. Ozouf, Minister for Treasury and Resources
Senator J.L. Perchard, Minister for Health and Social Services
Connétable M.K. Jackson, Minister for Transport and Technical Services
- Deputy J.A.N. Le Fondre, as an Assistant Minister in the Chief Minister’s Department, was invited to attend Board meetings.
2. The numbers of meetings held during the year
2.1 In 2008, there were 19 Board meetings of which 5 were conducted by electronic mail / telephone. The Board elected to continue utilizing the service of a Committee Clerk from the States Greffe to prepare an independent record of its proceedings.
3. A summary of the key matters considered by the Board in 2008.
A. Manual Workers’ Joint Council
3.1 The Board recommended to the States that the following persons be appointed on behalf of the States to constitute the Employers’ Side of the Manual Workers’ Joint Council:-
Senator J.L. Perchard
Deputy I.J. Gorst
Mr J.M. Pollard (Chief Officer, Health and Social Services)
Mr J.D. Richardson (Chief Officer, Transport and Technical Services)
- These recommendations were approved by the States.
- The Constable of St Helier was, in line with the constitution of the Council, appointed by the Comite de Connétables to be the fifth Employers’ Side member of the Council.
- The main functions of the Council are the determination of pay and conditions of service and the resolution of grievances and disputes. Given its role as Employer of all States manual workers, the Board also plays a crucial part in these activities and clearly needs to maintain a close relationship with the Council.
B. Pay award negotiations for the period 2008 – 2009
- The Board determined a pay policy for all States pay groups for the year 2008 – 2009. The policy, as agreed in the States Business Plan, was that awards should not exceed the Retail Price Index as at March, 2008.
- The Board had meetings with the Trade Unions representing both Manual Workers and Teachers on this issue during the year.
C. Introduction of a pay protection policy for employees.
3.7 A new pay protection policy for employees who are down graded through no fault of their own – e.g. in restructurings – was approved by the Board. This will provide time – restricted protection, based on length of service, and will apply to new recruits from 1 February, 2009. Employees employed before that date will continue to benefit from existing agreements and practices.
D. Minimum retirement age for uniformed services personnel (P176 and 177/2008)
3.8 The Board determined that the minimum retirement age for uniformed staff (Police Officers, Prison Officers, Firefighters, Airport Firefighters and Paramedics) was, at age 50, too low, and proposed to increase this to age 55. In arriving at this view the Board was influenced by three factors:-
- increasing longevity in the population generally and the need in time to raise retirement ages for all;
- In the UK, the minimum retirement ages for Police Officers and Firefighters has been raised to age 55;
- In his report in 2008 on pensions, the Comptroller and Auditor General had advised that the States should not allow its staff pensions schemes to get out of sync with the UK public sector schemes.
- The revisions to the scheme, applying to new recruits from 1 March 2009 only, were approved by the States in January, 2009.
E . Pensions
- The board gave detailed consideration with its actuary to proposals from the Committee of Management of the Public Employees’ Contributory Retirement Scheme for restructuring the funding methodology for valuations of the scheme. These considerations have extended into 2009.
F. Employee Engagement in political activity (P22/2008)
- The Board successfully asked the States to amend the Employment of States of Jersey Employees’ Regulations (2005) and the States of Jersey Law to enable certain classes of States employee (representing by far the majority of the workforce) to take part in political activities in the island, including standing for election to the States as either Senator, Connétable or Deputy.
- These revisions to the appropriate Law and regulations were completed by April, 2008 – well in time for the 2008 States’ elections.
G. Ongoing monitoring of staff suspensions and related policy matters.
- In May 2006, the Chief Minister issued to States‘ Members a copy of the guidelines which the Board had issued to States Departments on how staff suspensions should be effected, managed and monitored. The Board received and considered two bi-annual reports from the Human Resources Department updating it on all staff suspensions during 2008.
H. Independent Inquiry into Human Resources’ policies and procedures in relation to disciplinary matters.
- Following an unfair dismissal application to the Jersey Employment Tribunal, which was “settled out of court” by the parties part way through the Tribunal hearing, the Board appointed an eminent Professor in Employment Law, and previous Employment Tribunal Chairman in the UK (Professor Robert Upex) to conduct an independent inquiry into the circumstances surrounding that case and to make recommendations for improving our Human Resources policies and procedures in the area of staff discipline and dismissal. Professor Upex made a number of recommendations for improving practice, all of which were approved by the Board. The States were informed accordingly and the recommendations are currently being implemented by the Human Resources Department.
I. Endorsement of a report on succession planning (R14/2008)
- The Board approved the recommendations of a small group of States Members, supported by the Director of Human Resources, concerning succession planning, and leadership and management development in the public sector. The report was presented to the States on 12 February, 2008.
4. Key Manpower Statistics
Attached at the Appendix are key manpower statistics for 2008.
Appendix – Key Manpower Statistics
Key Manpower Statistics
Headcount
(the number of people actually in post as at 31 December 2008.
6,654
Department | Dec 08 Actual exc multiples in depts |
Chief Minister's Department | 192 |
Non Executive Departments | 219 |
Treasury and Resources | 239 |
Economic Development | 66 |
Planning and Environment | 119 |
Transport and Technical Services | 551 |
Health and Social Services | 2562 |
Education, Sport and Culture | 1899 |
Home Affairs | 659 |
Social Security | 137 |
Housing | 38 |
Total | 6681 |
Less multiple appointments across depts | -27 |
Total reported actual December 2008 | 6654 |
J category employees
(the number of employees, as at 31 December 2008, with a J category housing licence.
659 – 10% of headcount. 600 of these 659 are employed in Health and Social Services and Education, Sport and Culture)
Non locally qualified employees
(the number of employees, as at 31 December 2008) non locally qualified under the Regulations of Undertakings Law)
62 – less than 1% of headcount.
Sickness absence
Percentage of total possible days lost to sickness absence
4.12%
Average number of days lost to sickness per employee
9.14 days
Ratio of certified to uncertified absence
37/63
Turnover
The movement in and out of established posts.
Internal movements (between States Departments)
2.9%
External movements (into and out from the States)
12.3%
Total turnover during 2008
15.2%