Prospect & FDA unions attack civil service pay freeze

The budget announcement that civil service pay is to be capped at 1% for the next four years came as a shock to hard working staff following the Chancellors announcement. Many low paid staff will also be hit by drops in Family Tax Credits and many will be further hit by the hiking of council rents to so-called market prices.

In a call for a less dogmatic approach to pay, Deputy General Secretary Leslie Manasseh added:

“There is no light at the end of the tunnel for our civil service members when it comes to pay. Today’s announcement by George Osborne will further undermine the morale of members who have seen a steady erosion of pay in real terms over the last few years.

“The Chancellor has rightly acknowledged the enormous efficiency savings that our members have achieved but has failed to reward them for it. It is hard to see how he can rely on the civil service to achieve similar savings over the next four years without offering any incentive.”

Dave Penman, the General Secretary of the FDA added:

By restricting public sector pay rises to 1% for a further four years, the Chancellor is excluding public servants from the benefits of the economic recovery he spent so much time lauding this afternoon.

"Public servants are being asked to deliver a further £13bn of spending cuts, yet many of them will be taking home less pay than they did in 2010. A further four years of pay restraint will do nothing to help recruit, reward and motivate the greatest asset the Government has: the people who deliver public services.

"The Chancellor said today that 'Britain deserves a pay rise and Britain is getting a pay rise.' Unless, of course, you're a public servant."

Quite.