HOPES that negotiations over public sector pensions will remain amicable do not mean the review’s working party is not prepared to make tough decisions, a member has claimed.

The group, which is split into three employer and three employee representatives, has indicated its hopes to avoid the strike action that has blighted attempts to reform public pensions in the UK.

But Public Sector Remuneration Committee chairman Deputy Allister Langlois, who will represent the States as employer, said that did not mean he would shy away from difficult decisions.

‘My job as a deputy is to represent taxpayers and, acting for the States as employer, I have to ensure that whatever deal we arrive at is sustainable for the island,’ he said.