Treasury Minister Terry Le Sueur assured States Members yesterday that any contract of sale for the publicly owned operator will include a condition that employee protection rights will be ‘to a level at least as high as, and preferably higher than, anything which would be provided under UK-type legislation.’ He was responding to a proposition from Senator Ben Shenton which sought to defer the sale of any public utility until the terms and conditions of staff were fixed Senator Shenton lost – but by the narrowest of margins.
With the house divided 23 votes in favour and 23 against, only the convention that a draw means the status quo is maintained saved Senator Le Sueur from defeat.
The Deputy of St Ouen, James Reed, abstained.
Before the debate he had declared that some of his family worked for Jersey Telecom.
