Jersey Registration Card Day One and concerns about Volunteering

Today is Jersey Registration Card Day One.

Or as the JEP more correctly describes it;

“A major new crackdown on people living and working illegally begins today in the biggest shake-up of immigration controls in a generation.”

So we are being ushered down to the Social Security aka SS Offices in La Motte Street to volunteer for prosecution under the welcoming “BENEFIT THIEVES LET’S STOP THEM” poster.

I called in at about 2pm today and found the extraordinary spectacle of no claimants or mystified members of the public at all queuing - but behind the front desk saw more grinning staff faces than a toothpaste advert on American TV.

What on earth was going on I wondered when I was beckoned over with a cheery wave – can this really be the same place that normally confronts enquirers with a barrage of empty chairs and just a few “I dare you” stares….?

Do you have any printed information? I asked.

Yes, what language would you prefer, English, Portuguese or Polish….Have you been busy? Yes and we have even had several lawyers in checking to see that we are doing things properly too…

Would anybody be prepared to give me an interview on video for my blog(s) I asked?

Leave your details and we will ‘phone back….

Whilst there, I called into the Work Zone to enquire about “Volunteering”.

Not for myself but we have received several “complaints” about things going wrong for volunteers who have been injured or incurred expense when giving their time for free.

Is there a written “Code of Standards” we wanted to know that protects the volunteers and the people they are helping?…

…after several onward referrals and a return to the front desk the verbal information was that…

In a word the answer is NO.

This is something that volunteers must sort out for themselves with the organisation or business that they have volunteered to work with.

Which seems a bit vague because the SS Department is very actively promoting voluntary, unpaid work for those out of work and these people can be school leavers (with little or no experience of the wicked world) or mature persons with very little money to spare and disabilities to contend with.

There seems to be an official reliance on “Registered Charities” and employers to act ethically but since there is no such thing as a “Register” in Jersey the whole system seems to be the usual, untested “Jersey way” of operating…and we are especially concerned that vulnerable people (either as volunteer helpers or those being helped) are adequately checked out and validated.

We shall of course be writing to Minister Le Gresley for clarification on these issues (assuming that the ‘phone remains silent re an interview) but we did also call in at the JACS office (behind the Ann Summers shop) to see what Employment or Social Security Tribunals are currently imminent.

In fact there has not been a Social Security Tribunal for months and none is planned which does surprise us at SSTAG since so many claimants complain to us about the treatment they receive at the SS office. What happens to all these unhappy people?

We did note that there is an Employment Tribunal scheduled for this Thursday according to the official note pinned to the external door…we have also learned through the grapevine that the electronic notification of such hearings might actually become a reality in the near future because an extra member of staff is being recruited!!!

Perhaps the official Jersey Delegation to China will be able to resource a cheap IT programme to help this come to fruition even sooner?

As always, we welcome any comments or information especially from users of the SS, Health or Housing Department systems.

Good or bad do tell us how you find the standards of service provided.

Darius and a different approach to Jersey employment

It is not unusual to treat employers as the bad guys when disputes with employees arise. In Jersey there are over 5,000 small businesses that have five or fewer staff.

Out of a total of 53,000 employed people there are about 800 wholesale and retail employers and Darius - who features in the 17 minutes video below - is in this category.
He runs a small retail business in central St Helier employing one or sometimes two staff.

Except that Darius has unusual views about his employees status because he would prefer that they were classed as "self employed" but of course, the Social Security Department does not share that view.

The difficulty that is described here came about because a young woman left employment with Darius following a dispute and took her grievance to JACS (the Jersey Advisory and Conciliation Service) from where it proceeded to a hearing before JET (the Jersey Employment Tribunal) via the Royal Court.

Because Darius considered her to be "self-employed" there was no contract of employment and so it was difficult to determine what "contract rights" if any, had been broken.

Like so many of Jersey's small businesses, workers are often employed under vague conditions and there is no Trades Union involvement.

We have been trying to monitor the hearings before JET which are supposed to be held in public but this hearing was not announced and we had no knowledge of it until it was all over. Except that the JEP had previously reported some aspects of the Court hearing months after if actually took place and in a manner which was not at all accurate according to Darius.

After many months, waste of time and cost to the public of £thousands the matter was finally resolved because Darius and his ex-assistant were willing to agree on a settlement of a payment of less than £500.

This Darius says, could have easily been achieved if only JACS had  been more reasonable at the outset.

We offer this interview with Darius to show that small businesses do have particular problems which may not be appropriate for JACS and JET to deal with as currently constituted. This is a viewpoint that the Jersey Chamber of Commerce seems to share and there is already a move to undo some Employment laws.
On the other hand we have observed instances where small businesses have treated staff very badly and that JACS etc provide a most important safety net  giving valuable support to people in very stressed circumstances.

We will try to find an ex-employee to interview in the near future to illustrate the other side of the problem but we note with some concern that employers - such as the States - often require job applicants to declare if they are involved in disputes with previous employers! This is hardly a climate to encourage workers to come forward to be interviewed for fear of being stigmatised in the job market-place.
Now that un-employment is rising in Jersey, potential employees are very wary of expressing any critical views in public...

We thank Darius for his time and frankness.