Public services reps tell of members’ anger over pay
Prospect members are angry and determined. That was the clear message at a meeting of our public services sector reps this week ahead of the strike action they are taking on 10 May.
Civil servants have become the poor relation in the public services and are at the back of the queue on pay. They have faced an up to 26% real-terms pay cut since 2010, amounting to a staggering £700-1,000 per month in take-home pay.
The wage gap with the private sector and other parts of the public sector is continuing to widen, while a number of reps expressed desperation among members on the lack of pay progression.
“Nobody has explained to us why the Civil Service are being treated worse than the rest of the public services – yet again,” our general secretary Mike Clancy told the reps meeting.
Civil servants are being mistreated
“Why has a payment to recognise the impact of high inflation across 2022 and into 2023 been a feature of dialogue across the public sector but denied to civil servants?”
He said this mistreatment amounts to the government ignoring its own staff and their unions, after promises of enhanced engagement did not materialise.
“In the worst cost-of-living crisis, you cannot push civil servants around in this way, refusing to negotiate and engage in a meaningful way as we have seen in other parts of the public sector,” he said.
Our members don’t want to strike – what they really want is a resolution. But they have been forced into action.
The appetite for action is stark – reps told the meeting their members are “angry”, “furious” and “livid” at the situation.
Prospect members at around 40 public services branches took strike action in March, with further strikes planned for 10 May (11 May for Welsh Government and its agencies) and 7 June.
Action short of a strike
Throughout this time, members have also been taking action short of a strike – a protest measure which is becoming increasingly effective as time goes on.
Deputy general secretary Garry Graham said: “Action short of a strike is having a significant impact in a number of key areas. For too long, the work of government has been dependent on our members’ goodwill, which requires them doing work for free. Given they are withdrawing that goodwill, it exposes the impact on business plans and service delivery.”
He added that departments and agencies will have to take notice. “Our ballot results reinforced the message received in the disastrous People Survey results on pay. Staff turnover is at 13% and organisations are struggling to recruit and retain staff.”
This is an industrial dispute that affects us all.
“What we’re doing is right,” added Garry. “It’s not just about our members, it’s about having decent, high-quality public services for the future and the skilled and committed staff needed to deliver them.”
So what now?
Mike Clancy and Garry Graham are keen to visit workplaces and speak to members and non-members, whether online or in person.
If you’re a Prospect member, speak to your colleagues, tell them to join the union – remember, the more members we have, the more leverage we have with government to end this mistreatment.
If you’re not a member, join us. Be part of our campaign. If we stand together, we can win.
