THANKS A MILLION
Docs, teachers, soldiers get a rise
A MILLION public sector workers are set for their biggest rise in almost 10 years.
Soldiers, teachers, doctors and prison officers will have a bumper pay day.
Squaddies will get an extra £680 a year, on top of a one-off payment of £300.
Rank and file police officers will now receive more than £38,600 a year while teachers’ salaries will be raised by £1,366.
And Prison Officers are expected to see earnings increased by 2.75%.
Junior doctors will have about £924 added to their income while GPs will make around £1,052 more a year.
But there are concerns over cuts to services or jobs to fund the pay rises because no extra money is available from the Treasury.
Individual departments are having to fund the rises.
Dr Anthea Mowat, of the British Medical Association, said: “Since 2008, doctors have experienced the largest drop in earnings of all professions subject to pay review bodies, with consultants seeing a 19% fall in pay, junior doctors 21% and GPs 20%.
“The effective pay uplift this year for some doctors will be as little as 0.75%, which will be widely seen as derisory.”
Paul Whiteman, general secretary of school leaders’ union NAHT, also had concerns about the pay hike.
He said: “By ignoring the pay review body’s advice that all teachers and school leaders need the same pay rise, they have failed to recognise and reward the critical role performed by leadership teams.
“This will do little to retain valued and experienced senior teachers and leaders.
“Our members will feel let down by the Government.”
Labour branded the move a PR stunt.
Shadow Treasury minister Peter Dowd said: “After eight years of real-terms pay cuts for employees in the public sector, our police officers, junior doctors, some specialist doctors, GPs and dentists are all being offered a further real-terms pay cut.”
The Star Says: Page 6