Press Release - Employment Law

Public to be consulted on Alderney's new Employment Law

Alderney's workforce is a step closer to having the right to an employment contract enshrined in a new Law.

The island's Policy & Finance Committee has asked officers to draw up details based on Guernsey's Conditions of Employment Law and will then invite public opinion before a debate at a full States of Alderney meeting.

If agreed, this will give all workers on the island the right to have an employment contract - currently they do not have this right.

The Policy and Finance Committee have also been looking at Guernsey's Employment Protection Law to see which aspects could be incorporated into a new law. However, this would not happen until the island had experience of the workings of the first piece of legislation.

P&F has emphasised that an Industrial Disputes Tribunal system could be too expensive and cumbersome for the island. The Committee has therefore invited Law Officers and a senior Employment Relations Officer to visit Alderney to discuss how disputes can best be resolved.

P&F Chairman James Dent said: "The right to a contract is a basic human right. Alderney has for too long had no employment law. We want those who choose to come and live here to feel that they have the same legal protections as they would have elsewhere in the world."

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