More than 60 jobs to go at TTS

Thursday 05 November 2015

TTS plan to cut 61 jobs by the end of 2016 under dramatic plans to slash costs and review the services that it provides.

And the department has already ended one gardening contract to let a private sector organisation step in, and are preparing to stop doing work for the Education department soon.

They are dropping their contract with Andium Homes - the States-owned body that took over from the Housing department - and say that they will be able to find a new contractor who can do the job for 50% cheaper.

Documents presented to the States show that 61 jobs are set to go at the Transport and Technical Services department – around 40 will be by not replacing staff who retire or leave, while 13 will take voluntary redundancy this year, and another nine will follow next year.

The move is part of the States-approved plans to tackle a looming £145 million deficit with a package of measures including charges, staff savings, efficiencies and benefit cuts.

At the end of last year, the department had the equivalent of 467 full-time staff on its books, with an annual pay bill of almost £18 million.

In a written response to a question tabled by Reform Jersey member Deputy Geoff Southern, the department confirmed the plans to cut jobs.

They also revealed that they were starting to pull out of gardening contracts.

The full written response said: “Due to the current vacancies in the Parks and Gardens Mobile Gardening Team the Department made the decision to give notice to Andium Homes that it would be terminating the majority of its Landscape Maintenance Works Service Level Agreement on 31st December 2015.

“The reason why the department chose to terminate the Andium Homes contract was that they already have existing gardening contracts in place and would be very easily able to get alternative contractors to undertake the work for 30% - 50% less than the Parks and Gardens Mobile Gardening Team can do.

“It is the department’s intention to withdraw from the Parks and Gardens Mobile Gardening Contracts, including the Education Mobile Gardening Contracts, as and when vacancies become available.

The figures published by TTS show that of the jobs due to go, 14 are in the waste section, eight are in engineering and highways, and 38 are in operation services, while one is in departmental support.