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WRITTEN QUESTION TO THE CHIEF MINISTER
BY DEPUTY G.P. SOUTHERN OF ST. HELIER ANSWER TO BE TABLED ON TUESDAY 4th FEBRUARY 2014
Question
Will the Chief Minister inform members how the numbers of those public employees employed on zero- hours contracts given in his response to written question 8053 relate to the figures of FTE employees given in departmental annual reports?
In the same response, when the Minister states "appointments to States of Jersey roles are made using the appropriate contract", is he confirming that there is no inappropriate use of zero hours contracts in any States department or is there use of other contractual arrangements such as consultancy or agency work?
Will he account for the large increase in the number of zero-hours contracts between March 2012 and December 2013?
Will he provide a breakdown of the 25% increase in numbers of those on zero-hours contracts by department and by job description along with an analysis of whether these posts were to provide cover for temporary, short-term or urgent absence?
Answer
1 - There are no FTE figures attached to Zero hours working. As a consequence the figures attached to zero hours working do not relate to FTE of employees in substantive jobs.
2 - A department will determine how best to meet its staffing needs during any period from a range of options, including; flexi leave, use of overtime, permanent full time/part time contracts, fixed term contracts, zero hours agreements, external consultants/agency staff, as appropriate.
3 – The total zero hours figure (1157) provided in written question 6833 relates only to those zero hours workers that were actually paid (i.e. active) during the month ending 31/03/2012. It does not include zero hours workers who were inactive for the month ending 31/03/2012.
The total zero hours figure (1452) provided in written question 8053 relates to those workers solely on zero hours agreements and includes those who were active or inactive as at 31/12/3013.
As a consequence the figures are not comparing like for like.
4 – Given the answer in 3, above, there has not been a 25% increase in the number of people on zero hours contracts. In fact there was a reduction in active zero hours contracts during that period.
The current database is not able to determine whether the zero hours arrangement attached to each worker/job was to provide cover for temporary, short term or urgent absence.