Short-term contracts not fit for purpose - deputy

Deputy Beatriz Poree said she was worried for the people who lost their jobs in the Nude Food closures

Laws which control people who work in Jersey on a short-term contract are not fit for purpose, a deputy has said.

Deputy Beatriz Poree said she was worried about people who lost their jobs when two Nude Food restaurants stopped trading in November, when about 20 staff out of the 26 employed came to the island to work for the chain.

Under the contracts, staff from overseas have two weeks to find a new job or facing leaving the island if their job is terminated.

The government said "a delicate balance" was needed for "getting the right people into the right jobs for the right reasons".

Ms Poree said the current contracts were "not fit for purpose", and that they left people in "quite desperate situations".

"It leaves people in positions where they can't find resolution for their problems in terms of employment because they don't have the time in the island to deal with those issues," she said.

The work permit is tied to the employment and if the contract is terminated, the immigration permission is also terminated.

If extenuating circumstances exist, work permit holders whose employment ends can be allowed to switch to alternative employment without leaving the island.

'More restricted options'

Assistant Minister for Social Security Malcolm Ferey said it was a "difficult situation".

He said: "People on work permits obviously have very much more restricted options when it comes to this sort of scenario, and my sympathies do go out to anyone who has lost their job or has been affected by the collapse of this business.

"We've got to find that delicate balance between getting the right people into the right jobs for the right reasons."

Lee Madden, from GR8 Recruitment, said it had helped almost half the people who lost their jobs at Nude Food to find a new one.

He said: "Working with the Jersey Hospitality Association, and our client base, we've managed to find 13 jobs.

"We've got another six who are currently awaiting interviews, I believe; and the rest of them, I believe, are currently looking for work themselves.

"We want to get them to a place where they were last week, and get them to be in a position where they can still work, have Christmas, or send money home to their families at Christmas."