More than 5,000 States employees will see their current pay deals expire at the end of the year.
The Policy & Resources Committee initially expected to open negotiations between April and June on new arrangements to apply from January 2027 and then later said they would start in July.
Three major unions confirmed that the senior committee was still to commence talks, or even respond to pay claims which in some cases were submitted months ago, and other employee groups are understood to be in the same position.
Some union leaders criticised the senior committee for allegedly dragging its feet in response to their requests, initially made privately, for talks about next year’s pay to start in good time.
Although it has not been unusual for recent rounds of talks to start in the autumn or winter, unions fear a repeat of this year, which started without a deal for more than a third of public sector workers.
‘Unite has received no communication from the employer regarding the commencement of negotiations for 2027 pay for any of the groups we represent,’ said Unite regional officer Laura Bichard.
‘This is disappointing given the experience of this year’s pay negotiations, which have been unnecessarily prolonged. Members have already had to wait far too long for money they are owed, with confirmation only now received that prison officers will receive their back pay in September, while PSEs will receive theirs in October.
‘As we move forward with the 2027 pay negotiations, Unite will be seeking assurances that the lessons from this year’s process are learned and that unnecessary delays are avoided.
‘Pay negotiations should be treated as a priority and commenced at the earliest opportunity, so that members are not left waiting longer than necessary for their pay award.’
Unite represents more than 1,000 States employees, many of whom are among the lowest paid in the public sector.
The NASUWT, which represents hundreds of local teachers, was facing similar frustrations to Unite, including that its members’ 2026 pay award was only just about to be implemented.
‘We are very disappointed that, despite submitting a pay claim in good time and making requests for negotiations to start, the award is already overdue with no talks scheduled,’ said Wayne Bates, national negotiating official at the NASUWT.
A spokesman for Prospect, which represents civil servants, confirmed that a 2027 pay claim was submitted months ago and had not been progressed since but otherwise wished to refrain from commenting.
‘The Association of Guernsey Civil Servants wrote to the States in April with its pay claim for established staff for 2027,’ said the spokesman.
‘At the time of writing, the association has not received a written response from the States.
‘The association does not engage in commentary regarding ongoing or future pay negotiations.’
Most States employees received a 5% increase in 2025 and a 3.7% increase this year, although there were some variations in the latter figure.
Based on the index used by the States, known as RPIX, annual inflation was 4.3% at the end of June, which is the normal reference point for most pay negotiations. States officials were initially expecting inflation to be lower in 2026 and P&R is under a direction to limit spending increases in 2027 to RPIX minus 1%.
There has been a trend in recent years for elected members to be less involved in pay talks. Some unions, including Unite, are pressing for more political involvement ahead of the next round of negotiations.
‘Unite will be requesting that a representative of P&R is in attendance from the outset of the negotiations to help ensure that discussions can progress efficiently and without avoidable delays,’ said Ms Bichard.