Friday 7th February 2025
The Jersey Chamber Weekly Update
Dear Subscriber,
Quietly getting on with it.
Most of those who know me won't associate that with me, nor, for that matter, our busy, full-on programme of sold-out events with speakers who are relevant and have a real influence on our lives and the island. The CEO of the Govt of Jersey, the Minister for Planning, the Director of Operations for DFDS, the CEO of the JDC, the company that will develop the Waterfront and Fort Regent, and the Chief Minister. Those are the Chamber lunch speaker up to and including May.
Hardly getting on with it quietly, is it?
Well other than the quality, eloquence and meaningfulness of our speakers and the attendance they attract, the uninitiated (and sadly these people do walk amongst us) think that is all we do.
Away from the glitz of the lunches a whole other world exists.
The are seven teams of high-quality leaders across the many sectors of the economy. That is 70 plus sets of experience. They know what goes on, what works and what will not work. And via the Chamber engagement with Government, we get the opportunity to cordially share information both ways with a level of trust.
Often Government and Scrutiny ask for our experienced opinion and when they don't – we still give it, when it's a concern that will affect the economy and the greater good of islanders.
Looking back, I remember the next minimum wage rise discussions exactly one year ago with the Social Security Minister, ED Minister and Chief Economist. The support grant for apprentices won't happen by accident, and neither will the new Better Business Support packages. As this quote from a government press release six months ago stated:
''Jersey Chamber has worked with the Government during the development of the new Business Support Schemes, including productivity improvement, skills grants, and funding for apprenticeships. Chamber is now working with Government and key stakeholders on the mechanics of the schemes and will be the host for breakfast briefings with the relevant stakeholders'' That breakfast briefing by the way is on 13th March.
Following our procurement survey and Scrutiny hearing, we will now be meeting the Treasury Minister, to both see where it can be improved.
We, along with supermarkets and logistic companies and DFDS are working hard to unravel the freight costs to Jersey moving forward and taking these concerns in hourly dialogue with Government, having already effected schedule changes in both passenger and freight schedules.
The Chamber Employment survey from last Friday – 156 responses in 8 hours – told a story of concerned businesses. A flurry of phone calls over the weekend and by Monday we understood that this proposition would be delayed. This will give time in the background for the Minister and Scrutiny to carefully hear the concerns from an employer perspective and present a balanced proposition that rightly helps (as it intended) to prevent any poor employment practices and also balance the difficulties businesses often experience. Credit to the Soc-Sec Minister for listening, and the and Chamber Employment & Skills team for raising the concerns.
I've not even touched on planning, future energy supplies, ports, airport lounges, anti-social behaviour in town and the Residential Tenancy Law.
Welcome to my inbox! No moaning, it is a truly fantastic job.
All of which says, more often, whilst Big Ben continually strikes, we are quietly getting on with it and achieving plenty.
Enjoy the weekend.
Murray,
