JACS resources stretched thin as union disputes rise

Thursday 21 February 2019

Jersey's main employment relations service was stretched last year as it dealt with a record-breaking number of enquiries and an "upturn" in the number of collective disputes - despite fewer resources.

Jersey's Advisory and Conciliation Service (JACS) received a total of 10,133 enquiries in 2018, 206 more than in 2017, while also handling 144 new claims from the Employment Discrimination Tribunal – in addition to 93 carried forward from 2017.

The figures came in JACS' 2018 Annual Report, in which Director Patricia Rowan explained that the introduction of Disability Discrimination, removal of retirement age and enhanced maternity and parental rights all contributed to the rise in contact numbers.

Pictured: The pay dispute between civil servants' unions and the States Employment Board, led JACS to conduct four ballots and three mediations.

In addition to these, JACS had to assist in collective disputes, which involve groups of people covered by union agreements taking on their employer.

Ms Rowan described an “upturn” in these over 2018, with JACS having to conduct four ballots and three mediations in relation to the civil servants’ pay dispute. They also had to deal with another four or five collective disputes involving other employers, while there had been “very few” of those raised in 2017.

Ms Rowan described the collective dispute resolution process as “labour intensive” and time-consuming at the planning and determining stages.

She told Express that coordinating attendees’ schedules to organise a meeting took a lot of time, but that those meetings were important to give time to both parties to express their views and for JACS to understand “the issues aligned between parties."

“Often, it’s not just one meeting,” she added.

Pictured: The collective dispute resolution process as “labour intensive” and time-consuming the JACS Director said.

JACS are also involved as “scrutineers” when unions wish to ballot their members over pay or industrial action. They come in early on in the process to review the paperwork and then count the ballots, a service that is free as per the requirements of the law. 

Ms Rowan deals with all the mediations but in terms of the ballots, she said the number of people involved varies according to the scope of the ballot. “Sometimes it can be all hands on deck,” she added.

The increased workload came as JACS faced a reduction in its annual grant from the Social Security Department. In 2018, it was £363,118 - 2% less than in 2017 as per the Medium Term Financial Plan savings agreed in 2015. 

Despite this, Ms Rowan says her team is resilient and “will just fit in” whatever enquiry comes to them. “We always prioritise our clients even if it means we don’t do something else, like, for example admin work. Our clients come first, we always manage to do it,” she said.

She praised the “small dedicated team” for working tirelessly in 2018, thanking them for their “support and loyalty” amid what she described as “a difficult and challenging year.