Jersey Chamber of Commerce calls for change to labour laws

16 Jan, 2011

Restrictive employment laws that make it difficult for businesses to take on staff should be scrapped, according to the Jersey Chamber of Commerce.

Chamber president Ray Shead said the body wanted to see the bureaucratic Regulation of Undertakings laws repealed as they are a barrier to job creation at a time of high unemployment. He added that civil servants did not have the required knowledge to make decisions on whether a business should be allowed to employ staff.

The Regulation of Undertakings Laws make it a requirement for firms to apply for a licence to operate and also govern how many staff the business can employ.

Under the legislation, an individual has to have lived in the island for five years to be considered for any post.

Most companies are given a maximum number of