The Committee for Employment & Social Security is recommending that the exemption should apply for five years from the commencement of the law (provisionally, the years 2022-27).
But current and former members of the Guernsey Party are leading efforts for this exemption to the law to apply indefinitely rather than for five years only.
Deputy Bob Murray, Vice-President of the Committee for Education, Sport & Culture and a member of the Guernsey Party, will lay an amendment to defeat the proposed five-year limit when the States debate the proposals next week.
Deputy Mark Helyar, Treasury Lead and the Guernsey Party’s leader in the States, claims the proposals from the Committee for Employment & Social Security would “directly undermine the future of Guernsey’s Catholic schools” and “go against the guidance of the Policy & Resources Committee and legal advice that they are likely to be found unlawful in relation to human rights legislation”.
Deputy Liam McKenna, a former member of the Guernsey Party, is now encouraging people who want the proposed five-year limit to be extended indefinitely to make their voices heard by contacting deputies or joining other opponents outside the Royal Court when the States meet.
“The children, parents and staff of these schools are being discriminated against in a policy letter that could unintentionally close all three Catholic schools in Guernsey,” said Deputy McKenna.
“If these schools were to close, we would have over 1000 displaced students. Millions of pounds would potentially have to be spent on infrastructure to accommodate these school children in an argument that should never have come about and has caused great embarrassment to our community.”
The Bishop of Portsmouth, the Right Reverend Philip Egan, who oversees the Catholic community in Guernsey, also warned earlier this week that in their current form the anti-discrimination proposals could threaten the future of the island’s three Catholic schools: Notre Dame du Rosaire Primary, St Mary and St Michael Primary and Blanchelande College.
Deputy Peter Roffey, President of the Committee for Employment & Social Security, does not accept that his Committee’s proposals threaten the future of the Catholic schools.
“There is no suggestion at all from our side that the Catholic schools should close – the only mention of that came from them,” said Deputy Roffey.
“Two thirds of staff in Guernsey’s Catholic schools not Catholic. Nor are they employed by the church – except for at Blanchelande. Rather, they are States’ employees. They can work at these schools for 20 years and become mainstays of the school but currently are denied the right by their employer, the States, to apply for promotion to posts like Deputy Head Teacher.
“We feel this is wrong in principle and we are suggesting that the exception to the anti-discrimination law which will continue to allow it should be limited to five years to allow talks to resolve the impasse.”
The Committee for Employment & Social Security recently met representatives of the Catholic Church to discuss the proposals. Deputy Roffey said the Committee was “polite and welcoming…I am sorry we couldn’t agree but such is life”. But Deputy McKenna claimed the Catholic delegation had been treated in a “dismissive manner” and that there was “no attempt to engage in constructive discussion”.
“The Catholic Church could go into legal challenge and litigation against the States of Guernsey on human rights grounds, a situation I am told they are desperate to avoid as they have enjoyed a peaceful and harmonious relationship for over 150 years,” said Deputy McKenna.
“I want to make the public aware of these proposals from Deputy Roffey and his Committee which are corrosive and discriminatory and threaten the survival of three well-loved and high-performing schools. I also want to make the public aware of the lack of consultation with and poor treatment of the Catholic delegation and call upon everyone who objects to these things to have their voices heard.
“So please contact your Deputies and let them know what you think or join others outside the Royal Court at 9am on Tuesday 2 November to speak to them directly.”
The debate in the States next week is to allow the States to develop further policy proposals to inform the drafting of anti-discrimination legislation which is expected to be laid before the Assembly early in 2022.
Pictured top: The Bishop of Portsmouth, the Right Reverend Philip Egan, who oversees the Catholic community in Guernsey. The island has three Catholic schools: Notre Dame du Rosaire Primary, St Mary and St Michael Primary and Blanchelande College.