Some former Agilisys employees are claiming they weren’t even offered interviews for available comparable jobs when the States cancelled the firm’s multi-million pound government IT contract.
The States’ Chief Digital & Information Officer has denied that – saying he is confident there were no barriers to recruitment when the change was made to a multi-vendor model, with some services brought in house.
The company had employed 41 people locally to service its work for the States.
Agilisys says 19 of those employees transferred back to the States when its contract ended on 31 July.
It also says that only 14 of the other 22 staff were offered or appointed to new permanent roles within the States “despite years of experience supporting Guernsey’s core IT systems”, said Agilisys.
When the States ended its contract, the Policy and Resources President said that affected staff were being offered “comparable roles” elsewhere.
The firm says Freedom of Information requests prove that did not happen and that skilled local staff were “shut out”. However, Gé Drossaert says that is not true.
Mr Drossaert said staff were offered roles where available and that the States “also facilitated contact between Agilisys staff and vendors in the new IT delivery model to ensure further employment opportunities could be explored”.
“I am confident that there was no barrier to recruitment other than the need to secure the best candidates for each role at the appropriate level,” he added.
Agilisys has also claimed that of the 14 staff offered new jobs within the States, only nine accepted them. But they were taken on as ‘new starters’ meaning their continuous service did not transfer, any length-of-service-linked benefits were not carried over, and they had to complete a new probation period.
Some of the staff who were left jobless when the Agilisys contract was cancelled say they were denied interviews for roles they had previously led, while one was only offered a zero-hours contract.
Others have said they were turned down for senior technical posts they had successfully managed while working through Agilisys.
Fiona Phillips, People Partner at Agilisys Guernsey, said this is directly at odds with what the public has been told.
“Having worked closely with many of these individuals, I know the depth of their experience and the value they bring,” she said. “The island has invested heavily in developing its digital skills base. It makes no sense to waste that knowledge and experience at the exact moment Guernsey is trying to stabilise its new IT model.
“Frankly, the suggestion that this recruitment process has been fair is bogus and, for many of those affected, it’s felt like a real gut punch. No one is asking for special treatment, only fair consideration based on skill and contribution. What we’re seeing instead is talented local professionals being sidelined, and that serves neither the individuals nor the public services they helped to build.”
In response, Gé Drossaert, the States Chief Digital & Information Officer, said: “I feel obligated to respond to Agilisys’ latest media release to provide further clarity and to avoid any assumption that the States accepts the narrative Agilisys appears to be promoting through this and previous press activity – behaviour that is, respectfully, unusual from a service provider in a commercial environment.
“As stated in the Policy & Resources Committee’s response to a recent Freedom of Information request, the States of Guernsey’s priority when recruiting is always to appoint the best candidate for each role. In July 2025, 41 staff were employed by Agilisys in Guernsey. Of that number, work was available for 33 roles at various levels within our new structure to support IT delivery. The States also facilitated contact between Agilisys staff and vendors in the new IT delivery model to ensure further employment opportunities could be explored.
“A significant majority of former Agilisys staff were offered positions; however, it should be noted that many management roles were no longer required within our Digital & Technology structure and as such were not “created” to accommodate ex-Agilisys management.
“I am confident that there was no barrier to recruitment other than the need to secure the best candidates for each role at the appropriate level. We will not comment on individual applications for obvious reasons of confidentiality.
“As the person operationally responsible for IT delivery, my focus in recent months has been on welcoming our new colleagues – who are doing an excellent job – and beginning the much-needed work to improve our IT infrastructure and services.”