Teaching unions have called off strike action as the government accepted the recommendations of independent pay review bodies in full, giving public sector workers pay rises of 5-7% in 2023.
Police and prison officers in England and Wales will receive a 7% pay rise; teachers in England will get 6.5%; junior doctors in England will get 6% and a £1,250 consolidated increase; consultants, GPs and dentists in England will get 6%; and members of the Armed Forces will receive 5% plus a £1,000 consolidated increase.
Prime minister Rishi Sunak said the increases recommended by pay review bodies were more than the government had budgeted for, and would need to be funded by savings and “efficiencies” in government departments.
He added the government would not negotiate again on this year’s settlements.
He said: “Today’s offer is final. There will be no more talks on pay. We will not negotiate again on this year’s settlements.
“No amount of strikes will change our decision. Instead, the settlement we’ve reached today gives us a fair way to end the strikes.
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“Budgets are not infinite. When some ask for higher pay, that will always create pressures elsewhere; costs which must be ultimately be borne by the taxpayer, or by spending less on our other priorities.
“So that’s our decision. And having honoured the independent pay review process I urge all union leaders to accept these pay offers and call off their strikes.”
Ministers had suggested that the pay review bodies’ recommendations would not be accepted in an effort to keep inflation under control.
The announcement came as junior doctors in England began a five-day strike over pay this morning. The British Medical Association is calling for a 35% pay increase.
A strike involving junior doctors and doctors in training in Scotland was suspended last week after the Scottish government agreed to a record 12.4% pay increase. BMA members are now considering the deal.
‘Grandstanding PR stunt’
Dr Naru Narayanan, president of hospital doctors’ union HCSA, said: “Instead of serious negotiation on doctors’ pay we’ve had a grandstanding PR stunt which remains scant on detail.
“The government has known the pay review body recommendations since May, but is still sitting on its detailed findings. This underlines why we are calling for root and branch reform of the system.
“What we do know is that this is an imposed outcome with funding apparently coming from NHS cost-cutting. Slicing into health budgets is no way to resolve industrial action centred on staffing and retention, and overall a concern for patient care.
“Imposing it in this like-it-or-lump-it way is also a total misreading of the mood on the ground. The petulant refusal to negotiate we’ve heard from the prime minister today won’t help at all and betrays a level of immaturity at the heart of government.”
Teachers strikes off
Reacting to the news that all teaching unions have called off planned strikes, Sunak said: “Teachers will return to the classroom. Disruption to our children’s education will end. And the unions have themselves confirmed that this pay offer is properly funded… they are recommending to their members an end to the entire dispute.
“So it is now clear: momentum across our public services is shifting. The vast majority, who just want to get on with their life’s calling of serving others, are now returning to work.”
He implored other unions representing public sector workers to “do the right thing, and know when to say yes”.
NASUWT only yesterday announced its members had voted in favour of further industrial action.
In a joint statement, Sunak, education secretary Gillian Keegan, and the general secretaries of four education unions NEU, NASUWT, NAHT and ASCL, said: “This is the largest ever recommendation from the School Teachers’ Review Body (STRB). A 6.5% increase for teachers and school leaders recognises the vital role that teachers play in our country and ensures that teaching will continue to be an attractive profession.
“Importantly, the government’s offer is properly funded for schools. The government has committed that all schools will receive additional funding above what was proposed in March – building on the additional £2bn given to schools in the Autumn Statement. The government will also provide a hardship fund of up to £40m to support those schools facing the greatest financial challenges.”
The unions said they would now recommend their members accept the pay deal.
Earlier this week, chancellor Jeremy Hunt and Bank of England governor Andrew Bailey said that wage restraint is needed to reduce inflation.
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Inflation in May was 8.7%, the same as the previous month, while median pay settlements measured by XpertHR were 6%. Figures from the Office for National Statistics this week showed that growth in employees’ regular pay, which does not include bonuses, was 7.3% – the highest growth rate on record.
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