A LABOURER claims he was selected for redundancy ahead of foreign workers.

Philip Burt, 57, had worked for Charles Le Quesne (Guernsey) Ltd for seven months on the new clinical block contract at the Princess Elizabeth Hospital when he was given one week’s notice.

‘I have nothing at all against foreign workers, but they shouldn’t be allowed to have a job here when I can’t get one,’ he said.

Mr Burt said there had been no complaints about his work or his timekeeping. He missed work on just one day in the seven months and that was after he fell off a stepladder.

He said he was told the job he was doing was finished and he had accepted his notice and the reason given in good faith at the time.

‘But I since discovered [from fellow employees] the reason for my termination was in fact [allegedly] totally fabricated.’

He said a guest worker who laboured alongside him for three months was still employed on the site. ‘I also find it slightly ironic that not long before my dismissal from Charles Le Quesne, foreign cleaners were employed via the job centre.’

Charles Le Quesne managing director Simon Oakley denied any wrongdoing. ‘I have checked on Philip Burt’s employment and he was taken on in December 2008 to specifically undertake fire-stopping works, which were completed between June and July,’ he said.

‘I understand that no others have been taken on in respect to this completed element of the works since.’

The Commerce and Employment Department told Mr Burt nothing could be done because he had not worked for the company for long enough. ‘In most cases, employees who are dismissed can only make an unfair dismissal complaint to a tribunal if they have worked continuously for that employer for 12 months.

‘The department has over many years received anecdotal evidence and calls from employees believing they have been dismissed, or refused a job in favour of a non-local. Calls of this type usually increase slightly when unemployment levels are on the increase.

‘It should be remembered that EU nationals have a right to seek employment in another EU territory, which includes Guernsey, and provided they comply with current housing regulations, they have the same rights to employment as any local person with residential qualifications,’ said the department.

Mr Burt, who will be 58 next week, said he had spoken to a potential employer about another job by telephone but had been turned down when he revealed his age.

He had no choice but to sign on.

‘As a local man who has worked and contributed to the island for most of my life, I find myself shocked and dismayed at the events that led to my dismissal,’ he said.

He believed he was at the end of a growing line of unemployed people.

‘I’m disappointed at the total lack of support available for people like myself who have fallen foul of employers that opt for foreign workers over locals simply because they cost less money.’

A Guernsey Brewery employee for 20 years, Mr Burt has in recent years been working as a driver or on building sites. A back problem prevents him from lifting heavy items, but he said there were plenty of jobs he could still do.