Unions set to produce template for pay review bodies

Members of the TUC are expected to work with unions to produce a model template for public sector pay review bodies.

At TUC Congress taking place in Liverpool this week, members backed a motion put forward by the FDA union which argued that a “new compact” between government and public servants is needed, and called on the TUC to work with unions and stakeholders to ensure pay review bodies continued to be fit for purpose.

The motion said: “Pay review bodies were intended to bring industrial peace, depoliticise bargaining and, through evidence-based approach, help public services address some of the key strategic workforce issues. Governments, of all colours, have interfered in this process so much that the independence of those bodies has been critically undermined.”

FDA union general secretary Dave Penman said unions have to make sure they “have done everything in our power to get the best possible outcomes” for workers.

He said there needed to be greater independence, flexibility and engagement with unions in the pay review process.

“Giving greater weight to the evidence provided, rather than simply the affordability arguments of government, can start to address the recruitment crisis that blights many of our public services,” Penman said.

Earlier this year the general secretaries for the FDA and Prospect unions wrote to Paymaster General Jeremy Quin, highlighting that the pay review process for the civil service is “dysfunctional and broken”, and prevents individual employers from developing a strategic approach to their pay and reward.

Regular public sector wages increased by a record 6.6% in May-July 2023, driven by strong awards in the NHS, education, police and prison service and the Armed Forces. Public sector workers received pay awards of 5-7%.

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