Labour plan for vote to scrap public sector pay cap is great politics
Nurses protest outside Parliament against the public sector pay cap [Image: Jack Taylor/Getty Images].
We know that Tory backbenchers (and perhaps even some of the Cabinet) are wavering over the wisdom of the public sector pay cap. This vote will establish where they really stand.
If they don’t bother to vote, or vote with the minority Tory government, they’ll be marked as “spineless” and their chances at the next general election will be reduced (because we have long memories now, thanks to the social media).
If they vote with Labour’s motion, then the minority Tory government will be shown up as one that even its own members consider to be heartless.
The fact that Theresa May and her cronies almost certainly won’t abide by any decision made against their policy will only make them look worse in the eyes of a British public that is fed up with paying the price for Tory, and City, incompetence.
Labour is to force a Commons vote on scrapping the 1% public sector pay cap.
On Sunday, the shadow health secretary, Jon Ashworth, called on Tory MPs to join his party in backing moves to end the “unfair” cap with a motion to be debated on Wednesday.
Any vote on Labour’s motion will be non-binding on the government.
The opposition is seeking to capitalise on Conservative support for public sector workers to receive a pay increase and Theresa May’s lack of a majority to pressure her to take action sooner than previously hinted.
Source: Labour to force vote in Commons on scrapping public sector pay cap | Society | The Guardian
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What will happen is the labour proposal will be defeated, but hopefully the tories will accept that the 1% pay cap was imposed at a time of zero inflation, now that it has risen to between 2.6 and 3.6%, dependent on whose figures you accept, it is not a viable position to maintain that public workers should effectively take a pay cut, so they may remove the chains from the (not) independent pay review boards, and actually allow them to put forwards correct assertions instead of the 1% cap.