Most people want the public sector pay cap lifted. Shame the government will cheat on it
62 per cent said now is the ‘right time’ to lift the restraints on workers’ pay [Image: Getty].
And how unpleasant to see that the minority Conservative government’s reaction is to pretend to be helping, while in fact doing nothing of the kind.
Two years of pay freezes followed by four years with pay rises capped at one per cent mean, for example, that teachers’ unions have been able to claim that average pay has fallen by 15 per cent behind inflation since 2010.
With inflation now standing at 2.9 per cent, the rises announced for prison officers (1.7 per cent) and for police (2 per cent) are in fact still pay cuts as they do not cover the increase in the cost of living.
Add to that the fact that the Tories have said the pay rises must be funded from existing budgets and we can see that the Tories have piled insult upon injury.
Already police forces across the country have said the only way to achieve these increases is to cut the number of police officers – leading to increased strain on the remaining officers and reducing the UK’s ability to detect – for example – terrorist bomb plots.
The only thing the Tories will be able to achieve with this insult is the further collapse of the services involved and an increase in the nation’s vulnerability.
Isn’t it time somebody asked them why they think that is desirable?
A majority of the public believe the public sector pay cap has been unjustified and agree now is the time to remove restraints on workers’ wages, according to new polling for The Independent.
It comes as Downing Street said earlier this week that the seven-year public sector pay cap is to be scrapped, unveiling a 1.7 per cent hike for prison officers and improvements totalling 2 per cent in [police] pay for 2017-18.
It is expected that ministers will announce further rises for other workers in the public sector at the Chancellor’s Budget in November.
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Of course, anyone who has studied Tory behaviour since Mrs Thatcher’s time will realise that it is all part of their Masterplan to sell off the remaining Public Services. Undermine, de-moralise, underfund, discredit are always the Tory precursors to sell-offs. Foreign countries and corporations know very well that they can soon expect to grab hold of whatever is left in UK at Bargain Basement prices, then the foreign countries and companies will be able to take profits out of the UK economy and pay little or no Tax back into our economy. This is the Tory way; demonstrably insane, but those Tories who are starting to realise this do not yet dare to admit how catastrophically wrong their Sell-Off Dogma is. Please note: I am absolutely NOT against foreign countries and corporations, why would anyone NOT want to buy up anything which the Tories sell-off for a tiny fraction of its value? I don’t blame them, I blame the Tories 100%.
Just sent it to my Tory MP and asked him to please explain should be interesting I will let you all know what the outcome is