Jersey Government Rules Out Minimum Wage Abolition
- 1 day ago
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Jersey’s government has said it has no plans to abolish the island’s £13.59-an-hour minimum wage, despite calls from within the government for it to be scrapped.
Chief Minister Senator Lyndon Farnham made the comments after Sustainable Economic Development Minister Gerald Voisin wrote to the Jersey Evening Post describing the minimum wage as “strangling our economy”.
Voisin’s remarks followed calls from economist and Value Jersey board member Douglas Kruger to remove the statutory wage floor. Voisin supported the Value Jersey political movement during the election.
Farnham said Voisin’s comments represented his personal opinion and did not reflect the position of either the Council of Ministers or the States Assembly.
He said the government recognised that the minimum wage was an important issue requiring careful consideration, but stressed that it remained an important safeguard for workers.
According to Farnham, the wage floor helps ensure employees are fairly rewarded, protects workers from excessively low pay and provides financial security for many islanders and their families.
The government is expected to consider the future level of the minimum wage as part of its wider policy programme and budget discussions. This will include examining both the rate itself and how quickly it should increase.
Farnham also pointed out that responsibility for the minimum wage rests with Social Security Minister Senator Elaine Millar.
He said ministers would have the opportunity to consider any proposals before decisions were made, with the government taking into account the interests of workers, businesses and the wider island economy.
However, Farnham was unequivocal about the immediate direction of government policy.
“The Government has no plans to propose the abolition of the minimum wage,” he said.
While any proposal to abolish the wage would ultimately have to be decided by the States Assembly, Farnham said ending the minimum wage was not an option currently being pursued by the government.
