Constraining pay in this way is economically illiterate

The government has published its response to the Senior Salaries Review Body report on pay in the senior civil service stating that there will the a pay pause.

 

This is a pay cut in real-terms and comes after a decade of pay restraint.

“The government has never been more reliant on its civil service than it has been during the pandemic- keeping citizens safe, supporting their lives and communities, and stopping the country from grinding to a halt. This real-terms pay cut is a slap in the face for hard-working public servants.

“The comparison to the private sector, currently looking at a 2.4% pay rise, is at best wrong, and at worst deliberately misleading.

“At a time when the economy is trying to rebound, constraining pay in this way is also economically illiterate. The government should think again.”