Home » UK Employment news » UK public sector workers offered pay rises as government moves to end strike action

UK public sector workers offered pay rises as government moves to end strike action

By Hugh Fort in UK Employment news, posted July 14, 2023

The UK government has announced pay rises between five percent and seven percent for more than one million public sector workers.

Teachers, police officers and doctors are set for a pay increase after months of strike action.

The government's proposal would see police and prison officers receive a seven percent pay increase, with junior doctors and teachers seeing their pay increase by six percent and 6.5 percent respectively.

Four educational unions have recommended their members accept the rises.

When asked how the rises would be funded, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said: "It's not about cuts, it's about focusing on public sector workers' pay rather than other things," and expressed that this could be achieved without affecting frontline service delivery.

He revealed more plans to raise over £1bn by significantly increasing charges for immigrants applying for UK visas and using the NHS.

Police and teachers will see their pay increase in September.

Doctors will have their rises backdated to April.

But pay for NHS staff other than junior doctors and dentists, is not covered in the government's proposals.

NHS pay is set to rise by five percent, with ambulance workers, nurses, physiotherapists, and porters getting a one-time minimum amount of £1,633.

Teacher's unions have welcomed the move as money will not come from the schools' existing budgets.

However, junior doctors' unions are not happy with the proposal.

They say the offer is another real-terms pay cut and does not address years of below-inflation pay.

They criticised the government for not negotiating.

In this case, the government has not offered extra money, so departments will have to make savings.

It is likely junior doctor strike action will continue.

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The government ruled out funding the increases through increased borrowing or tax hikes.

Unite General Secretary Sharon Graham said: "By accepting the pay review body recommendations and then not funding them the government is putting its departments between a rock and hard place - they now have to choose between paying workers a half-decent salary or cutting services in already underfunded public services."

Mr Sunak said the offer was "final" and warned that further industrial actions would not alter this decision.

He said: "We will not negotiate again on this year's settlements and no amount of strikes will change our decision."

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