AT LAST... NURSES, TEACHERS & TROOPS PAY RISE
Chancellor rewards ‘vital’ workers
HUNDREDS of thousands of public sector workers will get inflation-busting pay rises, the Government announces today.
Teachers, doctors, police and prison officers will be among those rewarded for their dedication during the coronavirus crisis, Chancellor Rishi Sunak revealed.
The Armed Forces will receive a 2% hike, teachers will get 3.1% and police and prison officers 2.5%.
Judges, senior civil servants and military top brass will get 2% deals.
Doctors and dentists will get 2.8% while the Treasury pointed to a previously announced three-year
“Agenda for Change” pay scheme that covers other NHS staff.
Nurses still moving up pay structures will receive an average rise of 4.4% this year, the Treasury announced.
The wage rises – affecting 900,000 public sector workers
– were recommended by independent pay review bodies.
The deals announced are realterms rises because the Consumer Prices Index inflation rate was just 0.6% in June, according to the Office for National Statistics.
Mr Sunak said: “These past months have underlined what we always knew – that our public sector workers make a vital contribution to our country and that we can rely on them when we need them.
“It’s right therefore that we follow the recommendations of the independent pay bodies with this set of real-terms pay rises.” The pay awards for the Armed Forces, prison officers, senior civil servants and NHS staff will be backdated to April. However, rises for police and teachers will start in September because both professions run on a different pay calendar.
Frances O’Grady, TUC general secretary, said: “These rises are welcome, but there’s still a long way to go to restore pay after a decade of real-terms cuts.
“Many public sector workers, like job centre staff and local government workers, aren’t getting these rises – they deserve a decent pay settlement too.
“And the Government should urgently announce a pay rise for social care workers, who put their lives on the line to care for others during this pandemic.”