UK public sector workers promised a pay rise

London, UK | Xinhua |  Accepting the recommendations of independent pay review bodies, the British government on Thursday announced pay rises of at least 6 percent for millions of public sector workers, including teachers and some healthcare workers.

“I can confirm that today we’re accepting the headline recommendations of the Pay Review Bodies in full,” Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said in a statement, adding that the offer was “final” and there was no room for any further negotiations on public sector wages.

“We will not negotiate again on this year’s settlements. And no amount of strikes will change our decision,” he said.

Teachers and junior doctors have been offered a 6.5-percent and a 6-percent rise, respectively, while police and prison officers would receive a 7-percent pay rise.

Sunak said the pay settlement will not entail public borrowing or tax increases.

“It would not be right to increase taxes on everyone to pay some people more, particularly when household budgets are so tight. Neither would it be right to pay for them by higher borrowing because higher borrowing simply makes inflation worse,” he said.

The Consumer Price Index (CPI) in the United Kingdom (UK) rose by 8.7 percent in the 12 months up to May. Core CPI, excluding the prices of energy, food, alcohol, and tobacco products, rose by 7.1 percent, reaching the highest rate since March 1992.

Continuously high inflation has been eroding people’s real income in the UK. The annual growth in average wages, excluding bonuses, was 7.3 percent in the March-May period. When adjusted for inflation, however, the average pay fell by 0.8 percent.

Households have felt the financial squeeze amid a worsening cost-of-living crisis. This first triggered widespread strikes in 2022, and the demonstrations still continue. In May, 128,000 working days were lost because of pay-related disputes, the Office for National Statistics said on Tuesday.

Prior to the government’s settlement offer on Thursday, junior doctors started a five-day walkout to achieve full pay restoration. “During the last two years, junior doctors have made both an enormous contribution and a significant sacrifice. And yet none of this is recognized by the government,” the British Medical Association said.

After the government’s announcement, four UK education unions recommended accepting the offer. “A 6.5 percent increase for teachers and school leaders recognizes the vital role that teachers play in our country and ensures that teaching will continue to be an attractive profession,” the education unions said in a joint statement.

“Importantly, the Government has committed that all schools will receive additional funding above what was proposed in March,” they added.

Some unions have expressed concerns over the availability of funding for the pay settlement scheme. Sharon Graham, the general secretary of the organization Unite, said the government is putting its departments between a rock and a hard place.

“They now have to choose between paying workers a half-decent salary or cutting services in already underfunded public services,” Graham said. ■