Are States workers unsackable?

Thursday 12 March 2015

Just 60 States workers have been sacked from their jobs in the last five years – making the States’ dismissal rate less than a third of the UK civil service.

Stats released to Bailiwick Express under the Freedom of Information Law show that over the last five years, the rate of dismissals works out at around 0.14% of staff per year, much lower than the UK civil service rate of 0.5% per year.

It also shows that the rate is far lower than the most recent estimate for the UK dismissal rate across both the private and public sectors. A 2009 OECD report estimated the total UK dismissal rate at 3.6% - that would mean that workers in England are 25 times more likely to be sacked than a Jersey civil servant.

But this morning’s figures also show how much things can change – in 2010 just three staff were dismissed, but that figure went up to 20 last year.

The States have refused to reveal the job titles or pay grades of those dismissed, because they say that it would breach Data Protection rules to do so.

But they have said that over the last five years, States workers who are about to be sacked have been suspended for an average of six weeks first.

The figures released to Bailiwick Express show that by far the biggest reason for dismissal was disciplinary issues – they accounted for 39 of the 60, with attendance cited as the reason for dismissing 11 staff, and capability as the reason for ten sackings.