Top civil servant opts for pay freeze ‘as an example’
Saturday 10th October 2009, 2:30PM BST.
THE island’s most senior civil servant is freezing his pay for a year as an example to his fellow public employees.
In an unprecedented step, States chief executive Mike Brown (pictured) has written to thousands of States staff urging them not to ask for too much pay.
He said that the island’s precarious financial state – with spending already set to outstrip revenue next year – was forcing him to take action.
Mr Brown wanted all employee representatives to bear that in mind when negotiating pay.
‘We owe it to the taxpayers, who pay our wages, to be as disciplined as so many in the private sector. The reputation of all public servants rides heavily on the outcome of the 2010 settlements.’
The States HR manager Simon Elliott has joined Mr Brown in refusing any pay rise in 2010.
‘We must act judiciously to ensure the spending deficit is as low as possible while ensuring the sustainability of the services we provide,’ said Mr Brown.
‘Taxpayers quite rightly expect the States to manage costs effectively and to provide improved value for money.’
The chief executive, who receives a six-figure salary, did not expect employees to consider sacrifices he was not prepared to make himself.
‘I understand the financial pressure on your members and do not make this plea lightly.’
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Wow. i bet he will struggle
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I agree bella, the poor man’s only earning 180k a year, i bet he’ll REALLY
have to make some sacrifices next year.
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I think a real “sacrifice”, as he terms it, would be to take the same salary as most other civil servants – say, the median civil service salary.
It’s pretty easy to say you’ll not ask for a pay rise when you already earn £100k.
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Easy to say when he has a six figure salary, but good on him. I think the states need to be seen to be implementing this report on over spending before asking staff to go without.
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I find it a very sad reflection on the state of Guernsey’s economy when we have civil servants who are paid in excess of £100,000 a year and yet proposals for a minimum wage in Guernsey are being set at £5.73 an hour and £5.80 an hour.
A much more prudent financial exercise would be to put an upper limit on the salaries of all civil servants in Guernsey; how they can justify their salaries in comparison to other sections of public workers, particularly those who work in life-threatening situations day-in and day-out, is beyond comprehension.
Members of the public are already sick to the teeth of fat-cat bankers, and publicity of this nature will only embitter the Guernsey public and put these civil servants in the same category.
Guernsey is in a financial mess, everyone agrees on that; until someone somewhere gets to grips with the cost of staffing public services, which is usually the largest proportion of any financial budget, we will continue to sink into the mire.
The long-term financial implications of salaries and pension entitlements of this magnitude will be a huge yearly drain for the foreseeable future; the Guernsey public no longer perceive the image of prominent individuals being measured for their commitment to public service but more so in the financial rewards they are receiving.
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What a piece of six figure salary vacuous nonsense….
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So Guernsey’s most senior civil servant opts for a pay freeze on his six figure salary “as an example”…. Well said “Brassed Off” as I could not have said it better myself. The tragedy is, we are forced to listen to the same nonsense everywhere from these politicians, regardless of which country we live in. For example here in Canada this week, you may wish to check out “eHealth Ontario Scandal” regarding the Billion Dollars and Government waste.. Nothing less than outrageous and incredibly shameful. Shame on all of them. Terry – Toronto
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Shame Mr Brown didn’t suggest that all civil servants, including himself, would get the same cash increase in salary each year.
This would avoid a situation where Mr Brown would receive from a 5% salary increase close on £10,000 when someone on £20,000 would receive £1,000.
After all the price of bread etc is the same for those earning £180,000 and £15 thousand pounds.
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How about giving over his goldplated pension whilst the rest of us now have to work into our late sixties?
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Now what a good idea if all the top earners did this for a few years,and if the savings were then given as a decent wage increase for the low earners who DO know what it is to struggle in this crooked world!Of yes,I know,I live in a world of fantasy!
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What a lot of hyperbole! Mr Brown may well be able to make ends meet on his humble 6 figure salary – the majority of civil servants and public sector workers are on a lot less than him.
I would also like to see some of the fat cats in the private sector giving up their perks and bonuses – they are so quick to slag off the public sector but keep very quiet when it comes to discussing their own salaries, perks and pensions.
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I have to leave because I can’t afford to raise my family here and I am a public servant too.
Many out there may think it is good public servants are leaving. Think again – some public servants do very precise jobs
I bet Mr Brown is not my situation if he can afford to a pay freeze.
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At one level I will defend him with regard his salary. Brassed off, I think you’re not seeing the big picture.
Whether you like it or not, top “intellectual” jobs command large salaries, whereever you go. Now, if you want Guernsey to be run in any way like a professional outfit, you need high calibre staff. That means you need to attract them.
Tell people like Mike Brown that he’s going to earn £25k like a lot of other CSs in more menial work, and a) he’d be off like a shot to a private company willing to pay for his expertise and knowledge and b) that’s the point, the work and level of knowledge he has/needs is far above the level that CSs on £25k need, therefore he should be compensated for what he brings to the party.
That said, I agree that if you’re on £100k plus – agreeing to stay on £100k plus is no great sacrifice!
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billythefish.
and you think we are getting value, the way its being run ?
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I agree compeltely with Billy the Fish. The thing I am more annoyed about is the way it has been dealt with. I am a civil servant and the first I learnt about this letter was through the Press. He has published it to make himself look good. He should have spoken to the Union first. Pay negotiations should be between civil servants and the Union before they go out to the public.
I was completely prepared to take a pay freeze (I am earning around 20k mark) but now, after the way it was handled by “top civil servants” and “chief officers” without consulting their staff privately first, I am more likely to fight it. I am disappointed, his handle on this highlights those problems suggested by the Welsh Audit Office report.
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Molly,
Why would you expect the private sector to openly discuss their salaries, perks and pensions? The whole point is that the public sector is funded by taxpayers, the private sector is not.
And as far as your idea that you would like to see higher earners in the private sector give up perks and bonuses…well perks and bonuses are taxed at 20%. If they give them up then the company that they work for makes more money, which is taxed at either zero or 10%, depending on the type of company. Given the current state of the Island’s finances what a genius idea of yours!!
It would be great if people could thnk things through before posting some of the ridiculous things that appear on this site, but that’s not likely to happen it seems. There’s a lot of posts by people with a lot of opinion but very little knowledge of the subject that they are commenting on!
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I also completely agree with Billy the Fish. Mike Brown is running Guernsey’s biggest company, employing the largest number of people and has to manage a multi million pound budget. That is a huge responsibility which demands a top caliber person to run it. Compare his pay packet to any CEO’s, MD’s, of any of the islands 10 largest companies and Mike Browns pay packet will not even compare!
Before the narrow minded response brigade start lambasting this good man, maybe they should take a minute “to think outside the box”.
On another note, a survey was carried out recently of companies/industries that had awarded pay rises and frozen pay packets in these troubled times. The results were conclusive, those companies/industries which had awarded pay rises had cut the most jobs, those who froze pay packets, were retaining their staff levels. Now what would you rather want!!!???
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