THE response of the committee tasked with negotiating pay deals on behalf of the taxpayer was speedy and very telling.

Not a word of comment about the 4.5% deal given to the Town firefighters – 3% more than the Public Sector Remuneration Committee wanted.

It was too early to reflect on that.

But there was time to remind everyone that this is just one deal among many. A dozen other deals have been struck with public servants and only one has gone to a third party.

Of the others, some have agreed deals over two or even three years.

Sadly, that is where open government ends. We do not know how big (or small) are the agreed rises for all the other 5,000 States employees.

But the message from PSRC is clear: the Airport firefighter deal (7.8% plus tons of extras) and now this deal for their colleagues at the Town Arsenal will not set off a chain of huge pay claims among public servants.

Let us hope they are right. States expenditure is already wrecking efforts to steady the island ship in turbulent financial waters and a series of above-RPI deals for public workers will, in turn, spill over into the private sector.

But it is asking a lot to expect other public workers to look at the rising pay packets of Town and airport firefighters without a mixture of jealousy and resentment.

Teachers, policemen and nurses, for example, will all argue rightly that they, too, do tough jobs on the frontline of public service.

In coming years, when the pay deals have run their course, that resentment could easily spill over into tough pay talks.

Furthermore, it seems from the tribunal’s decision that the ‘special circumstances’ that enabled the airport firefighters to leapfrog above their Town colleagues amounted mainly to their ability to close the island’s air links down. Both sides and the tribunal acknowledged that the Town firefighters had the bigger job but only the Airport got the improved perks.

So it seems it is not about what value you and your colleagues bring to the island, it is about what threat you bring to the table.