Better Protections Needed For Permit Workforce

Jersey should bring in a Modern Slavery law to protect temporary workers from exploitation, a review of the use of work permits is recommending.

A scrutiny panel has been examining the effectiveness of the island's work permit policy.

Its report reveals that the has been an 800% increase in the number of work permits issued over the past four years, with Brexit, COVID-19 and the cost of living crisis being among the reasons for the surge.

More than 2.500 were issued last year:

More than half of the permits issued in 2022 were for seasonal hospitality workers, while 39% of permits were granted to Kenyan or Filippino nationals.

The Work Permit Holder Welfare Review Panel has concluded that the information given to people, both before and after they arrive here, is not good enough.

Among its 25 recommendations, it says there needs to be centralised information and guidance about living and working in Jersey, including accommodation standards and how the healthcare system works.

It suggests employers pay for travel insurance for all work permit holders for their first six months in the island, to cover their healthcare needs.

"Recommendation 23: The Ministers for Social Security and Health and Social Services should introduce specific guidance to work permit holders that includes information about their rights to healthcare in Jersey.

Recommendation 24: The Minister for Home Affairs should introduce a requirement to the Work Permit Policy to ensure that all work permit holders are covered by an appropriate travel insurance policy during the first six months of living and working in Jersey, and that the costs associated with this travel insurance requirement are met by the employer."

Ministers are also advised to look into introducing Modern Day Slavery legislation to protect workers from being taken advantage of.

It is suggested a licensing scheme for business that use temporary labour - similar to one in the UK, operated by the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority   - is also brought in.

Employers that fail to follow the rules outlined in the licensing standard will be given clear sanctions to deter further non-compliance.

Panel Chair Deputy Beatriz Porée says the feedback from work permit holders about living and working in Jersey is generally very positive.

"We believe that this reflects the many good employers on-Island. However, the Panel also believes that there is room to improve the protections in place for work permit holders, and in particular address the gaps in the communication of key information and guidance about living, working and accessing support in Jersey.

We hope the Government takes our recommendations into account and starts the necessary work to make improvements to the policy where needed."