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Ministers are planning to cut 412 jobs under plans that are being kept under wraps until the end of the month, according to leaked papers.
Deputy Geoff Southern says that the plans to fill the £135 million deficit expected by 2019 include new hospital and environmental charges, as well as reductions to university funding and environmental grants.
He says that he has seen a leaked version of the plans that ministers are working on, and that he and his Reform Jersey colleagues will be challenging Chief Minister Ian Gorst and his colleagues to come clean with the public when the States meet on Tuesday.
But Treasury Minister Alan Maclean says that the data that Deputy Southern has is out of date and partly inaccurate - although he has refused to say which of the different measures are not going ahead.
The leaked cuts include 412 jobs, mainly at Health and the Department of Infrastructure (formerly TTS) as well as specific measures to save:
£2 million from reducing university maintenance grants.
£1.8 million from patient travel and transport spending.
£1.2 million from cutting energy grants to Islanders.
£1.2 million in hospital charges.
Ministers are due to reveal the next stage of their cuts plan at the end of the month, but have been keeping the proposals secret up to then, apart from previously announced cuts to nursery education funding and plans to outsource TTS jobs.
According to the document that Deputy Southern has produced, the plans include “major damaging cuts” to Education and Health.
He said: “So far we have had debate on only two measures, nursery education and manual jobs at Infrastructure.
“The document I have seen contains well over 150 potential measures including the loss of over 400 posts across all departments.
“Although most are described as efficiency savings many public services, vital to the wellbeing of Islanders, will be stopped, reduced or outsourced with consequent loss of standards.
“Both of the priority areas, Health and Education, supposedly to be protected, have seen major damaging cuts.
“Not only will residents see their quality of life reduced by these measures, but the continued austerity approach adopted by ministers will have a negative impact on our stagnant productivity rate.
“These measures will depress the economy and prolong the recession. How long will it take for the Council of ministers to realise that you cannot cut your way to growth?”
In response, Senator Maclean said that the figures appeared to come from an early draft, much of which has now been changed. But he has refused to say which of the cuts was not happening in the way that the leaked papers present.
He said: "It has been superseded, it's out of date, a lot of it is inaccurate.
"We wouldn’t wish to make any further comment other than to say that some of the points picked up are points that we have been making since the MTFP was lunched last year which is to say that we are looking to reorganise the public sector and reprioritise spending to key areas health, education and economic growth.
"As we’ve been clear publicly, part of the plan will be a reduction in headcount, stronger vacancy management and if necessary after all those avenues have been exhausted compulsory redundancy.
"The theme to the MTFP that will be launched on 30th of this month and debated in September is about long-term planning, ensuring that we invest in the key priority areas, balance our budgets and deliver sustainable public finances for the long-term."
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