UK ministers have confirmed below-inflation pay rises for millions of public sector workers, in a move likely to set the stage for a fall of union action.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s cabinet on Tuesday approved pay plans for an average of 2.5 million public sector workers, averaging about 5 percent, as it accepted the recommendations of several independent pay review bodies. Inflation rises to more than 9 percent.
The government said there would be a fixed pay raise of £1,400 for hospital nurses, paramedics, midwives and porters, equivalent to an average of 4 percent. For the most low-paid staff, such as doormen, the increase corresponds to 9.3 percent.
There will be an average increase of 4.5 percent for doctors and dentists and a 3.5 percent increase for senior managers of the NHS.
Teachers’ entry-level salaries will increase by 8.9 percent, in line with a manifesto commitment, with those at the start of their careers getting a bigger raise. The salaries of experienced teachers will increase by 5 percent in the coming academic year. The government said this was an advance on its original proposal, but also that it would now confirm salaries only for the coming year, not for the two years it had initially planned.
Police officers will receive a pay raise of £1,900, which averages 5 percent. The police settlement is worth 9 percent for the lowest paid and only 0.6 percent for the highest paid.
Several public sector unions have warned of widespread disruption if ministers approve further wage cuts for the coming year.
Data released Tuesday morning by the Office for National Statistics show that private sector wages in the UK grew almost five times faster than the pay of public sector workers.