Minister says he has been 'slated' and his family taken 'abusive' phone-calls over economic growth comments

Tuesday, 10 November 2026 at 12:58

Jersey's Economic Development has hit out at the response to his comments about economic growth.

Deputy Gerald Voisin says a minority are slating him on social media for comments he made last week on economic growth.

He said he was trying to stimulate discussion and debate.

"I never said that we should remove or reduce workers' rights at all.

"But people on social media think it's fun to whip up a frenzy against me so I get slated on social media; my wife takes abusive phone calls.

"It is another reason why a lot of good people don't stand for this assembly - because of the abuse they think they'll get.

"The reason I went back into the assembly was so I could improve the lives of people in Jersey, who've suffered 20 years of economic growth.

"And this is why people feel worse off in Jersey - because they are worse off in Jersey."

Earlier this morning, the minister was asked to explain his comments about prioritising growth over protections for workers.

He said he is not proposing and has not proposed a reduction in rights:

"Employees in Jersey enjoy a good range of fundamental protections, and I have not and am not proposing a reduction in those existing workers' rights

"A strong economy should provide good, secure employment, fair treatment and opportunities for people to progress.

"Workers' rights have a vital part to play in that."

He said the Government should 'find the right balance' when creating new workers' rights regulations:

"Our aim should be to create the conditions in which businesses can grow whilst ensuring workers are properly protected and treated fairly

"Economic growth should lead to a higher standard of living for everyone in Jersey."

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