n By Jody Whitehill
We look at the flipside of Guernsey’s ‘island for the rich’ image – the reality of which is very different
Although Neil says that he and his wife have not yet had to go without meals to keep their children fed and their bills paid, he puts this down to their incredibly frugal way of life.
“It costs £450 for 500 litres of kerosene oil [to heat our house] – usually enough for six weeks in the winter. If we don’t have the money for it then we don’t have heating. There is literally nowhere else in our budget to cut money from,” he says.
John* has been a porter at Guernsey’s only hospital for almost 20 years. “It isn’t easy work. Porters have a very wide range of responsibilities over here and shift work takes its toll on your health and wellbeing too,” explains John.
As well as moving beds, Guernsey’s porters also deliver blood, collect samples and provide security for the hospital. In fact porters are also fully trained special constables.
A porter’s basic rate of pay is £12 an hour and John reports a high staff
turnover in his department, which he describes as a tragic loss of experience every time someone leaves.
“I’ve always been very good with money, planning ahead and prioritising. But recently the bills have been coming in thick and fast and we just don’t have enough money to cover them all no matter how much we cut back. Food shopping has shot up so much that you reach the till to pay and the total is such a shock. We can’t afford to fill the car with fuel anymore and there’s nothing put by to cover any unexpected bills,” he said.
Without any big supermarkets like Tesco or Asda and no chain stores, there’s little to no market competition, making things like food and clothing very expensive. Kitting children out in school uniform and shoes without budget shops is even more eye- wateringly expensive than over on the mainland.
John’s wife recently had an accident that needed medical attention. “I took
31 uniteLANDWORKER Summer 2022
her to accident and emergency for an x-ray. We were only there for half an hour but it cost us £140. Only the very wealthy can afford medical insurance so we just have to pay when things like this happen,” he said.
John says the State needs to take action now and get wages up to a liveable standard before it is too late and there’s simply no one left to take care of the sick, elderly and vulnerable.
Neil believes that pay freezes and below inflation pay rises have led to him and his colleagues falling behind on pay by roughly 17 per cent. He would like to see the State value its staff better and invest in the people that do the work no one else wants to do. The jobs that keep the island running.
As we go to press Unite is in pay talks with the State and Landworker will keep you informed of any developments.
*Names changed to protect privacy
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