The body tasked with recommending Jersey’s next minimum wage has effectively reopened its consultation – almost a month after it closed – after the issue exploded into the first major political row of the months-old government.
The Jersey Employment Forum announced this morning that Islanders would now have until mid-September to submit their views in light of what it described as “recent interest” in the matter – just days after the Economic Development Minister was threatened with the sack for publicly questioning the future of the statutory minimum wage.
The consultation on what Jersey’s minimum wage should be from April 2027 originally opened on 28 May and closed on 31 July, with the online survey subsequently shut and the exercise moved into the “closed consultations” section of the Government website.
But the political storm which erupted this month appears to have breathed new life into the debate, which has already seen Jersey’s key business lobby group Chamber back calls for a review and rethink of the system, warning that rising employment costs are contributing to higher prices, fewer jobs and reduced investment.
But, despite acknowledging the spike in local “interest” in the issue, the forum appeared keen to stay well clear of the political fireworks, adding pointedly to its brief announcement that: “No further statement will be issued by the Forum.”
How did a wage consultation become a political crisis?
The sudden surge of interest follows an extraordinary week in which Economic Development Minister Deputy Gerald Voisin argued that the current £13.59-an-hour minimum wage was “strangling our economy” and “turbocharging inflation”.
In a letter published by the JEP, Deputy Voisin questioned whether Jersey should ultimately follow countries without a statutory minimum wage.
But the intervention quickly developed into a row not only about wages, but about collective government.
Chief Minister Senator Lyndon Farnham subsequently revealed that he had asked Deputy Voisin to withdraw the letter before publication – but the Minister went ahead anyway.
The Chief Minister formally rebuked his Economic Development Minister for failing to follow the Ministerial Code and warned him that another significant breach would see him expected to resign.
“It will not happen again”
Deputy Voisin subsequently apologised to the Chief Minister, Social Security Minister, his ministerial colleagues and Islanders who had been “concerned or unsettled”.
He also backed away from the most controversial element of his intervention, saying he would not pursue the abolition of the statutory minimum wage and acknowledging the protection it provides employees.
The Government has meanwhile stressed that it has “no intention of abolishing the statutory minimum wage”.
But the debate Deputy Voisin wanted has certainly happened – and Islanders now have longer to join it.
So… what happens now, and how can I have my say?
The Employment Forum is an independent body comprising employer, employee and independent representatives.
Its statutory role includes consulting on the minimum wage before preparing a report and recommendations on what should happen next.
With the subject now firmly in the political spotlight, the Forum has extended the deadline for submissions to Friday 18 September.
Islanders can submit their views by emailing E.Forum@gov.je.
