Labour and trade unions threatened Theresa May with a fresh round of strikes
Labour and trade unions yesterday threatened Theresa May with a fresh round of strikes unless she agrees to increases in public sector pay.
Nurses held a demonstration in front of Parliament to demand an end to the 1 per cent cap on pay for state workers, which has been in force since 2010.
Meanwhile, the Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union, which represents civil servants, announced it will ballot its members on whether to launch a campaign of industrial action.
And John McDonnell, the Shadow Chancellor, blamed the Prime Minister for any future strikes, saying she was ‘provoking’ public sector workers.
Asked whether there was likely to be an increase in industrial unrest, he replied: ‘Inevitably. If they don’t do something, inevitably. It is almost as if they are provoking it.
‘And I think you’ll find across the health service and teaching there will be people acting in solidarity – they are provoking real anger.’
Mr McDonnell said he had been shocked by what he had found on picket lines in recent months, adding: ‘I’ve not felt the anger being expressed for 20 years.’
The PCS union said civil service pay had fallen by between £2,000 and £3,500 in real terms from 2010 to 2016 – and demanded pay rises of at least 5 per cent for all public sector workers.
John McDonnell, the Shadow Chancellor, blamed the Prime Minister for any future strikes, saying she was ‘provoking’ public sector workers
General secretary Mark Serwotka said: ‘The Tories have no mandate to continue with the pay cap. PCS has consistently argued that capping public sector pay is counterproductive, unjust and unnecessary.
‘Civil servants keep this country running, yet they have seen cuts to their pay, pensions and redundancy terms as a result of the Government’s austerity policies. It is only right that our members have their say and send the Government a clear message over pay.
‘We are clear, pay misery for public servants must end and the Government must restore public sector pay to levels that allow working people to live with the dignity and security they deserve.’
Hundreds of nurses gathered in Parliament Square yesterday as part of a ‘Scrap the Cap’ rally organised by the Royal College of Nursing.
Addressing the crowds, former Blackadder actor and Labour activist Sir Tony Robinson said: ‘It is you who the state has consistently slapped in the face for the last five years.
‘We don’t want any more weasel words, we don’t want any dodging, we don’t want any lying. We all have a cunning plan: scrap the cap now.’
Former Blackadder actor and Labour activist Sir Tony Robinson said: ‘We don’t want any more weasel words, we don’t want any dodging, we don’t want any lying. We all have a cunning plan: scrap the cap now’
At the same time in the Commons, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn urged Mrs May to ‘see sense’ by scrapping the cap, amid mounting speculation that she is preparing to end the long-standing policy.
He told the Prime Minister: ‘Today, thousands of nursing and other healthcare staff are outside Parliament. They’re demanding this Government scraps the 1 per cent pay cap.
Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon said the Government fully understands that public sector workers have taken their ‘share of the pain’ of deficit reduction
‘Poor pay means experienced staff are leaving and fewer people are training to become nurses.
‘There’s already a shortage of 40,000 nurses across the UK. Will the Prime Minister please see sense and end the public sector pay cap and ensure our NHS staff are properly paid?’
Mrs May said in reply that she had to ensure the public finances were in order before any action was taken.
‘We absolutely value the work of all those public sector nurses, teachers and others who are doing a good job for us day in and day out in often what are very difficult and harrowing circumstances,’ she said.
‘Later in the autumn we will publish the framework for 2018/19 and we’ll continue to balance the need to protect jobs, the need to protect public sector workers and the need to ensure we’re also protecting and being fair to those who are paying for it – including public sector workers.’
Earlier in the day, the Institute for Fiscal Studies think-tank said that lifting the public sector pay cap will cost ‘a lot of money’, but it cannot be kept in place forever.
Director Paul Johnson said if public sector pay were to rise in line with inflation for the next three or four years it would cost the public purse up to £7billion more than continuing with the cap.
Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon said the Government fully understands that public sector workers have taken their ‘share of the pain’ of deficit reduction and signalled that the Chancellor was looking at the issue.
‘What he’ll be looking for is to ensure that public sector workers aren’t discriminated against,’ he told Sky News.
‘We’ve not taken a decision on this yet but we do recognise that public sector workers have made a significant contribution to helping us get the deficit down.’