18/08/2026
๐๐ฎ๐ซ ๐จ๐ฉ๐๐ง ๐ฅ๐๐ญ๐ญ๐๐ซ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ข๐ง ๐ซ๐๐ฌ๐ฉ๐จ๐ง๐ฌ๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐๐ฅ๐ฎ๐ ๐๐๐ซ๐ฌ๐๐ฒ'๐ฌ ๐ฉ๐ซ๐จ๐ฉ๐จ๐ฌ๐๐ฅ๐ฌ ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐๐จ๐ฅ๐ข๐ฌ๐ก ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ฆ๐ข๐ง๐ข๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ฆ ๐ฐ๐๐ ๐.
๐๐๐ญ๐ก ๐๐ฎ๐ ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ญ ๐๐๐๐
๐ฅ๐ฒ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ๐บ ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐ฒ๐ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐บ๐ฎ๐ถ๐ป๐ ๐๐ป๐ฒ๐พ๐๐ถ๐๐ผ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐น๐น๐ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐บ๐บ๐ถ๐๐๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐๐ผ ๐๐๐ฝ๐ฝ๐ผ๐ฟ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ฎ ๐น๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ฎ๐ด๐ฒ โ that is to say, a statutory minimum wage which is sufficient for hard working people and their families to live with dignity, without needing to resort to charitable hand-outs or government benefits to survive in what we all know to be an expensive island.
It is more than alarming that less than two months after taking office, at a time when the council of Ministers has yet to finalise its common strategic policy, that one Minister has decided to not only attack the living wage, but the very concept of a minimum wage itself.
For those who followed the recent elections closely, the early warning signs were there. Behind the catchy โdrip-dripโ message of โWe need a cheap supermarketโ, another, quieter, more insidious policy was being planted - an attack on the minimum wage itself. Some other Value Jersey candidates suggested that the minimum wage had been โpushed up too highโ and wanted to see lower wages for young people who โstill lived at homeโ.
๐ข๐ป๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐ ๐ถ๐ป๐ถ๐๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ฉ๐ผ๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ปโ๐ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐บ๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ ๐ถ๐ ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐๐ถ๐ฐ๐๐น๐ฎ๐ฟ๐น๐ ๐ฏ๐ฎ๐ณ๐ณ๐น๐ถ๐ป๐ด: that the level of the minimum wage has denied people second jobs. The whole point of a humane minimum wage is that people should not need to take on second jobs just to make ends meet.
Where there are businesses in specific sectors that are facing more entrenched challenges, the correct response should be to maintain the assistance provided by well thought-out, targeted government interventions such as the better business support package to Jersey business being a good example โ the fishing and agricultural loans being another, as well as a fit for purpose support for apprenticeships and training.
As it stands, ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ ๐ถ๐ป๐ถ๐๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ฏ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐น๐ ๐๐ฒ๐ฒ๐บ๐ ๐๐ผ ๐๐ต๐ถ๐ป๐ธ ๐ฎ๐ฏ๐ผ๐๐ ๐๐ต๐ผ ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ธ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ ๐บ๐ถ๐ด๐ต๐ ๐ฏ๐ฒ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐๐น๐ฑ ๐ฏ๐ฒ ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ถ๐ฑ ๐น๐ฒ๐๐ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ป ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐๐ฟ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ป๐ ๐บ๐ถ๐ป๐ถ๐บ๐๐บ ๐๐ฎ๐ด๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ณ ยฃ๐ญ๐ฏ.๐ฑ๐ต ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ต๐ผ๐๐ฟ. ๐๐ ๐ถ๐ ๐๐ผ๐๐ป๐ด ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ผ๐ฝ๐น๐ฒ? ๐๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฒ๐น๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐น๐, ๐๐ต๐ผ ๐ต๐ฎ๐๐ฒ ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐๐๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐ถ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐ ๐ฎ๐ด๐ฒ? ๐๐ ๐ถ๐ ๐ถ๐บ๐บ๐ถ๐ด๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ป๐ ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ธ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐? ๐๐ ๐ถ๐ ๐ต๐ถ๐ ๐ผ๐๐ป ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ธ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐?
The doctrine that a higher minimum wage is the main culprit for inflation is also highly dubious: the minimum wage is going up for two reasons: because of a longstanding commitment from successive recent governments to lift the poorest working families out of relative-poverty and because Jersey has become a more and more expensive place to live.
Deputy Voisinโs radical ideology is in sharp contrast to the example set by the American Industrialist Henry Ford: Ford not only understood the concept of a living wage, but implemented it. This was not an entirely altruistic endeavour. He wanted his workers to be able to buy the products that they actually help make and which he sold. It made economic sense for both parties.
In Jersey, it has been recognised time and time again, that housing costs, including bills, are the biggest thing that make households struggle. The Minister should be turning his attention to solving these issues rather than seeking to be a Ministerial loose cannon which has started firing on the lowest paid in our community.
It is reassuring to see that the current Chief Minister has distanced himself from the Economic Developmentโs Ministers comments.
๐๐ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐๐ ๐ฎ๐ ๐ฅ๐ฒ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ๐บ ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐ฒ๐, ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ถ๐น๐น ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ป๐๐ถ๐ป๐๐ฒ ๐๐ผ ๐๐๐ฝ๐ฝ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ ๐ฏ๐ผ๐๐ต ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐น๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐๐ ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ถ๐ฑ ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ธ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ ๐ถ๐ป ๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐บ๐บ๐๐ป๐ถ๐๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ท๐ผ๐ถ๐ป๐ฒ๐ฑ-๐๐ฝ ๐ฎ๐ฝ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ต ๐๐ผ ๐ถ๐บ๐ฝ๐น๐ฒ๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ฎ ๐น๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ฎ๐ด๐ฒ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ธ๐ ๐๐ผ ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฒ๐ณ๐ถ๐ ๐ฏ๐ผ๐๐ต ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ธ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฏ๐๐๐ถ๐ป๐ฒ๐๐๐ฒ๐ ๐ถ๐ป ๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐ณ๐ถ๐ป๐ฒ๐น๐ ๐ฏ๐ฎ๐น๐ฎ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ป๐ผ๐บ๐.
We will continue to use our voice in this Assembly and in Government to make these points.
Deputy Monty Tadier,
Co-leader of Reform Jersey, Hill Street Offices, St Helier.
