A union leader is urging civil servants and government manual workers to give their views on proposals which he claims will dramatically reduce their income.
Under the proposals a single employing authority for government staff will be creating, replacing both the Civil Service Commission and the Whitley Council pay negotiating body from some 2,500 public sector manual and craft workers.
Jonty Arkell, who is chairman of the employees’ side of Whitley Council, said: ‘This impacts on every man, woman and child on this island.
‘The reason for this is that everybody on this island is directly or indirectly connected economically to a government worker be it their husband, wife, son, daughter or family friend.
‘If people don’t respond to this consultation, the government will assume they have a mandate from the people.
‘People must realise that if this comes in, many of the 4,000 plus staff will have dramatically reduced incomes as a result of this, which will have an impact on their livelihoods, their lifestyles, their ability to pay their bills, their rent or mortgage, their food bills and their ability to go on holiday.’
Consultation on the proposal to establish a Public Services Commission was launched this week by the Civil Service Commission under the government’s Agenda for Change programme.
Chief Minister Allan Bell says the existing structure is ‘not fit for purpose’ and he has described Whitley Council as ‘anachronism’. But Mr Arkell said scrapping Whitley was a ‘retrograde step back to Victorian terms and conditions’.
Written submissions can be sent to: Amanda Haxby, Office of Human Resources, St Andrew’s House, Finch Road, Douglas, IM1 2PX, or email amanda.haxby@gov.im
The deadline is May 31.