Labour to force vote in Commons on ‘unfair’ public-sector pay cap
LABOUR is to force a Commons vote on scrapping the one per cent public-sector pay cap for NHS workers.
Shadow Health Secretary Jon Ashworth called on Tory MPs to join his party in backing moves to end the “unfair” cap, with a motion to be debated on Wednesday.
Any vote on Labour’s motion will be non-binding on the Government.
But the Opposition is seeking to capitalise on Conservative support for public-sector workers to receive a pay increase and Theresa May’s lack of majority to pressure her to take action sooner than previously hinted.
The parliamentary bid follows former top Treasury official Lord Macpherson, of Earl’s Court, labelling the cap unsustainable in the long term.
Mr Ashworth told Sky News’s Sunday with Niall Paterson: “What the Government needs to do is understand the concerns of the people who work in our National Health Service and wider public services and get rid of this pay cap.”
Asked if Labour would support a union-backed general strike, Mr Ashworth said his party supported those who take industrial action but would not want to see it get to that stage.
Meanwhile, Tory MPs in marginal seats are being targeted by a union campaign to lift the cap.
Members of Unison in 27 constituencies with small Conservative majorities are being urged to press their MP to support ending the one per cent limit.
The move comes amid speculation that the Government is about to announce a bigger wage rise for the police.