States to freeze hires for up to a year to avoid redundancies

Wednesday 21 November 2018

A government-wide freeze has been placed on hiring civil servants – aside from those in “essential” top-level roles – until the end of 2019, as the States make moves to plug their forecast £30million black hole without sparking mass redundancies.

Constable Richard Buchanan, Vice Chairman of the States Employment Board (SEB), confirmed yesterday that only roles that are key to the operation of the States – a group he said included PR and communications workers – will be filled. Others will be covered by short-term contracts.

The Chief Minister, Senator John Le Fondré, announced in October that he expected a large-scale restructuring of the public sector, spearheaded by new States Chief Executive Charlie Parker, to help save £30million.

At the time, he revealed the States was carrying close to 600 vacancies.

Yesterday, Senator Kristina Moore asked Constable Buchanan to clarify how many workers would be made redundant during the restructuring. He replied that it was impossible to estimate how many jobs would be lost until around March next year.

First, an extensive consultation with staff would have to be carried out, he said. After that point, workers facing losing their job will be assessed to see if they could fit into other roles. If so, the Constable said they will be pooled and join the recruitment process for other roles that have become available within the States by the end of the restructuring.

Pictured: Richard Buchanan said the States will be minimising permanent hires until the end of 2019.

Constable Buchanan said the States would minimise job losses "by restricting new permanent hires" until the implementation of a new ‘Target Operating Model’. This, he said, was likely to come no earlier than quarter four of 2019.

He explained that the States are aiming to "slim down" by using the vacancies they currently have and by not filling any others that come up between now and the end of 2019 so that they can be filled out by people who have been "displaced" during the restructuring. 

"We are trying to juggle balls between keeping roles that are essential to the operation of the States manned and also not removing opportunities for people who might be displaced through this by appointing permanently," he told the States Assembly. "It would be unfair to the current workforce if we were to employ permanent people and then have to make people who have employed for a while redundant. So it’s a balancing act, and I appreciate it is drawn-out process."

Normal recruitment process will resume once all the people available in the pool have been used. 

Pictured: Only essential roles will be filled between now and the end of 2019 said Constable Buchanan.

Deputy Kirsten Morel questioned the Vice-Chairman of the States Employment Board why this "regime of minimising of new permanent hires" did not apply to senior hires, including the communications department. Constable Buchanan replied those roles were "essential to lead the organisation as we go forward" and that the States had therefore had to recruit immediately. "That criteria will apply to any role that’s absolutely essential to the running of the States," Constable Buchanan added.

Pressed to clarify what kinds of targets he had in mind for the organisation, Constable Buchanan was unable to provide numbers, explaining that his targets were financial instead of "people targets." 

He however admitted that the SEB expects people will be made redundant and has therefore ensured there will be 'outplacement' services to cater for them when they are identified.