May warned of strikes unless full pay cap is lifted
THERESA May will face co-ordinated union strike action unless she moves on the one per cent public sector pay cap.
Trades unionists meeting in Brighton yesterday served notice that they would campaign to end the cap on public sector pay.
Nicola Sturgeon has pledged to end the seven-year cap in Scotland and May has signalled the UK Government will take action too.
But unions fear that while uniformed public servants like police and nurses will see their salaries go up, others will be left behind.
In her keynote speech to the TUC, general secretary Frances O’Grady told Theresa May to stop talking about pay reviews and to “get on with it”.
She said: “The prime minister talks about the sacrifice public sector workers have made, as if it were their choice.
“Public servants weren’t given a say in the matter. They’ve had seven years of pay freezes and pay cuts imposed on them.
“They have been forced to work harder for less, while the Government have lined the pockets of corporate Britain with tax giveaway after tax giveaway.”
The TUC Congress will finalise plans for rallies and demonstrations as well as ballots for industrial action.
O’Grady added: “On October 17, public servants will rally on Parliament Square and send a clear a message to Mrs May – five million hard-working public servants need a pay rise. The public back it. Now tell the Treasury to get on with it.”
A debate at the conference came amid speculation that police and prison officers are in line for a pay rise above the current one per cent limit.
Janet Davies, general secretary of the Royal College of Nursing, said: “Every sign that the Government is shifting its position is welcome.
“But Theresa May should bite the bullet and consign the whole policy to the scrapheap.
“If it is not scrapped in the Budget or before, then industrial action goes on the table immediately.”
GMB’s Rehana Azam said: “All public sector workers must now receive proper pay rises. That includes those not covered by pay review bodies such as school support staff, council workers and police staff.”