Ruling out even modest public sector pay rises is economically illiterate

A new public sector pay freeze set to be announced by government, reported by the media today, have been condemned by Prospect.

Mike Clancy, Prospect General Secretary, said:

“After a decade of pay austerity in the public sector which has seen pay increases lag behind inflation and the private sector, a further pay freeze across the public sector will be seen as an insult and have a devastating impact.

“At a time when the economy urgently needs demand and a level of confidence, to arbitrarily rule out even modest increases is economically illiterate.

“Whether it is responding to the pandemic or dealing with the challenges of Brexit, our members’ work in the public sector has never been more important.

“The government needs to rethink. If they want fairness across the economy they should heed our call for an independent pay review body and stop public sector pay being a political football.”