LONDON (Reuters) – Britain on Thursday set out pay rises of at least 6% for millions of public sector staff, including teachers and some doctors, accepting the recommendations of independent pay review bodies.
Britain has faced months of strikes by public sector workers over last year’s pay offer, with trade unions demanding higher rises than originally recommended by the pay review bodies due to soaring inflation.
Education unions immediately said they would call off planned strikes and recommend accepting the deal.
WHO ARE THE PAY REVIEW BODIES?
The pay review bodies (PRBs) are independent panels that gather evidence and provide the government with advice on pay for many public sector workers.
There are eight PRBs, which make recommendations on pay in sectors including health, teaching, the police, the army and the prison service.
The PRBs have around six to eight members, who are appointed to a term of three years. They come from a range of organisations and are appointed by the prime minister or other ministers.
WHY DO THEY MATTER?
The government is not bound by the PRBs’ recommendations and the prime minister and relevant ministers ultimately decide whether to follow their advice.
The PRB’s recommendations are usually followed by the government, although there have been times when the government has overridden them.
Swathes of public sector workers have taken strike action over the last few months in a dispute over their 2022/23 pay.
Government ministers have consistently cited their respect and acceptance of the independent pay review process as a reason for resisting calls from those workers for higher pay offers, as inflation soared in the country.
WHAT HAVE THEY RECOMMENDED?
Below are the recommendations which the government has announced it has accepted and will be backdated to April:
STAFF PAY RISE
Teachers 6.5%
Eligible National Health 6%, with junior doctors
Service doctors and dentists also to receive a 1,250
pound consolidated
increase
Prison staff 7% for prison officers
5% for prison governors
Armed Forces 5% plus consolidated
1,000 pound increase
Police officers 7%
Senior civil servants 5.5%
Judiciary 7%
Other NHS staff, including nurses, paramedics and midwives were offered a 5% pay rise for 2023/24 as part of a 2-year deal in March. That deal has been implemented, even though not all unions had accepted it.
HOW DOES IT COMPARE TO PRIVATE SECTOR PAY?
The median pay settlement agreed in the private sector in the three months to the end of April was 5.8%, compared with 5.0% in the public sector – boosted by a pay rise of at least 6.5% for most health workers in Scotland, according to figures from pay data company IDR.
(Reporting by Kylie MacLellan and Alistair Smout; Editing by Sarah Young and Mark Potter)
