Department for Constitutional Affairs rejects accusations of ‘unfair’ pay structure for court workers

The Department for Constitutional Affairs (DCA) has hit back at claims that its new regional pay structure for court workers is “scandalously unfair” and “divisive”.

The Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS), which represents more than 17,000 DCA workers, accused the management of engineering a North-South divide by paying staff in the South East up to £2,706 more a year in starting salaries.

Under the pay review, court workers in the north of England will be paid £11,726, compared with £14,432 in the south.

Mark Serwotka, PCS general secretary, said: “These proposals are not only scandalously unfair, but will entrench the North-South divide by driving down pay in some of the most deprived areas in the country. We would urge ministers to put a stop to such a divisive pay system that determines your wage on where you live, rather than what you do.”

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But a DCA spokesman told Personnel Today the pay system had nothing to do with regional bias. “Regional pay is nothing new. We needed to have a consistent, systematic approach to pay.

“The regional system reflects the reality of the job, and [the DCA] has to be competitive if it wants to attract and retain the right people,” he said.