May defends public sector pay restraint
THERESA MAY said recommendations about pay levels for public servants including teachers and police officers would be considered “very carefully” but stressed the need to “live within our means” as she faced questions in the Commons yesterday.
The Prime Minister has been under pressure to end the one per cent cap on public sector pay rises, with members of her Cabinet hinting the squeeze on incomes could be ended.
At Prime Minister’s Questions Mrs May insisted she valued public sector workers and the services they provide but “I know we have to pay for them”.
The Fire Brigades Union (FBU) said an offer from employers worth two per cent on basic pay this year and a potential three per cent from April 2018 showed the pay cap was “dead in the water”.
But Mrs May said that was a separate issue, determined by their local authority employers.
The Prime Minister said: “We have had three pay review bodies in the public sector reporting in March that covered doctors and dentists, NHS staff including nurses, and the Armed Forces and the Government accepted the recommendations in all three of those cases.
“The firefighters’ award is not a matter that is determined by Government, it is determined by the employers and it is not subject to a pay review body.
“There are outstanding pay review body reports, those cover teachers, prison officers, police officers and senior salaries and the Government will consider those reports very carefully and will respond to them.
“But while we do that we will always recognise that we need to take those decisions against the need to live within our means.”
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn accused the Prime Minister of “recklessly exploiting the goodwill of public servants”, adding: “They need a pay rise.”