AIRPORT firemen were criticised last night after a further wave of industrial action closed Guernsey Airport for a second time in a day. The men, who, it emerged, are demanding a 17.5% pay rise, refused to wait four minutes before striking to allow the Gatwick flight to land, infuriating those flying and the airline.
‘It’s bonkers. Looking at this from the outside, people would regard it as very vindictive,’ said Flybe’s head of PR Niall Duffy. The incident was one of many yesterday as parts of the island were paralysed by a widely-supported strike by about 1,000 States manual workers in support of a cost of living-plus pay rise.
They have been offered 3%. It also emerged that further strikes are on the cards unless the States negotiating body reacts to yesterday’s stoppages.
Chief Minister Lyndon Trott (pictured arriving at the airport) was one of 79 Flybe passengers diverted to Jersey yesterday by the firefighters’ action. Deputy Trott was waiting to leave Gatwick when he received an email from the Public Sector Remuneration Committee with the union’s demands.
‘It advised me of the airport firefighters’ claim in excess of 17%. I have to say it came as a surprise.’ Deputy Trott said a meeting was planned for today with himself, the deputy chief minister and the PSRC.
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10 Article Comments
It is easy to be for or against public sector worker’s demands for a wage increase. Most people will accept that all workers should receive RPI, a minority may require an adjustment beyond that, but frankly very few are going to be sympathetic to a 17% increase!
Let no one forget that the tax payer will foot the bill and raise RPI - will your employer match the rate of inflation on a rising scale plus some?
The States should announce a freeze on taxation for the next 12 months and then return to the table with sensible but non-inflationary proposals. This island cannot however be held to ransom by a greedy few.
Yesterday the airport firemen and the harbour workers really showed what a bunch of vindictive, cowardly and vicious people they are. They are trying to hurt the Guernsey people as much as possible with their selfish and excessive demands. They have no thought for the damage and inconvenience they are doing to people who unfortunately have to depend on them for basic services.
Trouble is the airport cannot function without a full quota of firemen on each shift. If they started working to rule the airport would have to be shut a lot of the time as they would not be obliged to work extra hours to cover sickness, holidays etc. A lot of the goodwill which has kept each shift covered is now being eroded.
I don’t know what they earn but i do know that it is not enough to cover a mortgage/private rent at today’s housing costs and locals returning to the island are not entitled to States housing. I have been told of a fireman who has returned to Guernsey after serving in HM forces. If he had continued to live in the UK he would have gone straight to the top of the council house list as the Government recognises their service to their country - not in Guernsey however. His family are currently all farmed out with various relatives. They will not be staying in the island very long if this continues. Is he being greedy wanting to earn a wage which enables him to rent a property so that he can live and provide for his family? It is apparently becoming increasingly difficult to recruit trained firemen - surely an indication that the pay cannot be that good. It used to be a sought-after job with a long waiting list but it has obviously fallen behind over the years.
Its about time Guernsey outlawed all Unions. We are not the UK and the damage these walkouts without notice cause to the Island is significant. If you are not happy with your pay, go get a different job like the rest of us. Let me guess…you got overtime by working late because of the havoc you caused si in the end, only jo public loses out. THe airport/ports is a lifeline and stikes should be outlawed
End the final salary scheme and carry out a detailed root and branch study of the public sector to determine what jobs can be cut. The resulting reduction of the public sector workforce will enable the remaining 90% or so of that workforce to be given a material increase in earnings and make a decent living. If we lose 10% of the public sector workforce then they should all quickly find private sector work in this island of full employment.
I am struggling to see any losers from such a review of the public sector. 90% get a big pay rise to give them a better life. 10% find new jobs in the private sector which genuinely need to be filled.
That 10% have probably already left - which is why the public sector is in such a mess! Outsourcing is more expensive in the end - just that creative accounting can make it look like the public sector is lean machine. There are already a significant number of locals who have left the public sector to enter the private sector which is possibly why the island is in such a mess - those who perhaps arguably had the island’s long-term interests at heart are now giving up public sector work and entering the more lucrative private sector. Their positions are then having to be filled by licence holders which is a much more expensive option as they are entitled to housing allowance etc. What i suggest is that the States stops paying these extra allowances and ensures that all workers have equitable pay for their respective jobs. Working alongside someone who is earning an extra £1000 a month ‘housing allowance’ is galling in the extreme. If their basic pay is not enough to support them living in this high cost island then the same rule goes for locals.
The lowest paid are undoubtedly the worst off and percentage rises mean little when your basic pay is poor. Encouraging people into these jobs is difficult and the final pension salary scheme is a perk which rewards long term loyalty - it is the only perk for working in the public sector and is not free- workers pay a substantial sum into it themselves.
The States inflation figures of 3% are a joke statistic. They’ve given £100m away to foreign business in tax breaks and need to tax-grab through direct and indirect taxation.
That means our cost of living has gone up considerably (my Stets Insurance has almost doubled!!) and our living standards have been destroyed by Trott and Co.
So I’m not surprised the firemen want more than 3%. They’ll be driven backwards as everyone on this island has been by these creeps we call Deputies who do not represent us, but some international business syndicate.
David
The grinding down of the public sector is a well known ploy. All the States will do is privatise everything. Then the island will have really gone to pot. A quick hit to fill in one year’s worth of black hole.
The private sector needs government regulation. Salary caps and windfall taxes on individuals. There is no long term gain in not having a loyal public sector. Higher tax on the higher earners, maybe that will encourage some of the non loyal non locals to leave. The reduction in ETI will lower house prices, jobs will be shed in the finance industry, but there are too many anyway, inflating the wages as the ‘buyer’ can name their price. This ‘go for growth’ cannot work in this community without a massive population rise. I know Giba’s stance is fully in favour of this (more people to exploit), but all the time the political will opposes this (for how long under Trott?), then underlying local inflation will rise, and the poor will keep being under pressure.
What to do? Put the breaks on the minority rich or grind the poor and the public services into the ground?
Privatisation has not worked anywhere in the UK. It is not the answer.
I don’t know why anyone would want to work for the States as the pay in the private sector is much better. Also working for yourself is better to as you can charge what you want.
And in both these case’s you don’t have to depend on politicians who treat you like dirt (remember I’m not listening)for your pay rise’s.
If States workers are so greedy why don’t they privatise the lot and let the island’s population pay the real cost for their services not the present cost which is subsidised by low States workers wages.
The people who are slating the Airport Firemen and all the other Public Service Employees (and indeed the States themselves who are being unreasonable over the pay claim) would do well to remember that if they decided to take further prolonged action over our shoddy treatment the island would go into complete meltdown in a matter of days - no sea or air links, no mail, no papers, no food, no milk, no freight deliveries, piles of rubbish everywhere, major sewage disposal problems etc etc, should think on - they are running out of patience SO GET IT SORTED NOW!!