The Government has today announced further cuts to schools, hospitals, prisons, police services and armed forces to pay for what amounts to a real terms pay cut for many of the public sector workers who work in them.
While the government and Establishment media are trumpeting this as the ‘biggest pay-rise in a decade’, the real picture is very different. Although figures of ‘up to‘ 3.5% are mentioned for propaganda purposes, huge numbers of public sector workers will receive far lower settlements – and no police will receive more than two percent.
This means that as well as cuts to services, today’s pay settlement will also amount to further real terms pay cuts for our police officers, and some teachers, doctors and dentists – after years of real-term cuts under the Tories’ 1% cap, as inflation runs at 2.4 per cent.
After years of seeing their real-terms pay cut for ideological reasons, hundreds of thousands of public sector employees will face real-terms pay-cuts as a result of today’s announcement.
Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell’s verdict was scathing:
Today's phoney pay increase will mean further real terms pay cuts for our police officers, many teachers, doctors and dentists paid for by more cuts to our schools, hospitals, prisons, police services and armed forces. Shameful.
— John McDonnell MP (@johnmcdonnellMP) July 24, 2018
The Labour has said that it will not accept any pay deal that cuts the salaries of public sector employees in real terms and starves the public services we all rely upon of the funding they need.
Labour’s manifesto at the last general election pledged to end the pay cap and included . fully-costed, above-inflation pay increases for public sectors workers. Labour has also committed to setting control of public-sector pay via genuinely independent Pay Review Bodies or through collective bargaining.
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Not only is this a phony pay increase; it is to be funded from existing budgets and only way in which that can be done is to cut the services delivered. In other words, sack X no. of people.
The Blairites all think that it is Antisemitic to pay public sector workers a low wage, as Wes Streeting was only saying the other day…
Where has the party said this is shite
John McDonnell is not the party anymore