We have had our Phil of pay cap
Public sector plea to Chancellor Cost of wage misery laid bare
PUBLIC sector workers warn they have been “pushed to the brink” and are demanding an end to the pay cap forcing many to live on poverty wages.
The impassioned plea for a pay rise for the five million employees comes in an open letter to Chancellor Philip Hammond, signed by the leaders of their unions today. They urge him to use Wednesday’s Budget to end the “pay misery” for millions of hard-working staff in hospitals, schools and town halls. TUC polling showed one in seven public sector workers skipped meals this year to make ends meet, and almost a quarter (24%) said they wouldn’t be able to pay an unexpected bill of £500. Dave Prentis, leader of the biggest public sector union Unison, said last night: “The Chancellor will be letting down millions of public service employees and their families if he doesn’t come up with the cash for a proper wage rise for every public servant this week.
“After years of shrinking wages, many hopes will be pinned on the papers in that famous red box.
“Midwives, school caretakers, hospital cleaners, librarians and other public sector workers are all banking on Philip Hammond reading this letter and doing the right thing. If the Chancellor gives everyone in our schools, hospitals, police forces and local councils the wage increase they’ve earned, he’ll not only be easing the financial worries of millions of households, he’ll be throwing a lifeline to our under-pressure public services, too.”
TUC research shows that a firefighter earns £2,000 less in real terms today than in 2010, a midwife is £3,000 worse off and a prison officer is nearly £4,000 down.
If the pay cap continues until 2020,
a social worker on £37,858 now will suffer a real-terms pay cut of £3,533,
A midwife on £35,255 will lose £3,288 and a teacher on £32,831 will be £3,064 worse off. A firefighter on £29,638 will be £2,766 down, a nurse earning £28,462 will have their pay cut by £2,656 and an ambulance driver on £19,655 will be £1,838 out of pocket.
Union leaders also warned that pay rises for just police and prison staff would be “unfair” and increases must be properly funded. In September, the Government announced a 1.7% hike for prison officers and improvements in police pay totalling 2% for 2017/18. That was branded a Tory “divide and rule” tactic.
TUC general secretary Frances O’Grady said: “Public sector workers have suffered seven long years of real-terms pay cuts. The Chancellor must give them all the pay rise they have earned. “A pick and mix approach would be cynical and plain unfair. “Future pay rises for all public servants must at least match the cost of living and be properly funded. “If ministers raid already-stretched department budgets, that would be robbing Peter to pay Paul.” Union leaders have reported how austerity pay has left some members relying on foodbanks and payday loans. One care worker could not afford the bus home from work.
And Unison heard of a teaching assistant secretly applying for payday loans “ashamed and frightened” that if her boiler finally packed up this winter then her family would be one cold snap away from disaster.
A quarter of the union’s members – 300,000 public service workers – said that they did not know how they would pay for an unexpected expense.
More than three-quarters were buying less food and one in 10 were even missing meals to feed their children.
Unions have also seen a leap in the number of members applying for hardship benefits to tide them over between pay days.
Other hard-hit workers have changed their shopping habits to buy essentials from more cut-price supermarkets and given up family holidays abroad.