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The firefighting union has accused the government of “dangling the carrot” so the emergency workers don’t retaliate in a drawn-out row over pensions.
Having been locked in a longstanding row over pension schemes with the States Employment Board (SEB), the union representing Jersey firefighters claims that their employers have been favouring “tactic rather than principle” in the aftermath of the protracted legal battle.
It follows the SEB finally winning an appeal at the highest court that hears cases in Jersey. Although it is normal procedure for the ‘losing’ party to pay the ‘winning’ party’s legal costs, the SEB told Express that they wouldn’t be pursuing that in this case.
The Jersey Fire and Rescue Service Association (FRSA) say that the Board’s comments to Express about not pursuing their legal costs of £14,000 from the union were not communicated to them directly.
Pictured: SEB Vice-Chair Constable Richard Buchanan said the government wouldn't be pursuing the legal costs.
SEB Vice-Chair Constable Richard Buchanan told Express that the government had decided not to make the union pay their legal costs incurred over the lengthy court battle, and that the Board wanted to focus on “rebuilding [their] relationship with the FRSA”.
Commenting on this via a social media posting, the FRSA said it failed to see this as a merely a gesture of good faith.
The union wrote: “Legal advice is being sought and SEB will be quite aware that appeal options exist and it is not lost on the FRSA’s membership that dangling the carrot of non-recovery of costs to our union’s legal team so not to proceed, is one of tactic rather than principle.”
Pictured: The firefighting union say that this isn't the end of the pension row and they are considering their options.
Further to this, the firefighters contested the Board’s hope that this “draws a line under the matter”, saying: “SEB should be advised this decision absolutely does not draw a line under the matter and they should expect further discourse on the subject.
“However, we welcome the Constable’s suggestion that SEB are concentrating on rebuilding the relationship with the FRSA although it would appear this statement is for the purpose of media outlets rather than ourselves.”
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