Public sector staff to receive pay rises

Having announced plans to lift the one per cent cap last year, Prime Minister Theresa May has revealed wage increases for about one million workers in the public sector.

With NHS workers, prison staff and police having benefitted from the cap relaxation last year, reports suggest that the armed forces, teachers and doctors are now expected to see an increase, rumoured in the Sun to be 3.5 per cent for 2018/19, although other sources have suggested a lower total.

The wage increase is expected to be funded by individual government departments, with the increases unlikely to be funded by the Treasury. A new pay deal for the NHS was announced in March, promising a 6.5 per cent increase over three years, although this did not include doctors, dentists and senior leaders. Therefore, a pay increase of at least two per cent for junior doctors, specialist doctors, GPs and dentists has been announced. Consultants will also get a pay rise of at least £1,150.

The Treasury has said that members of the Armed Forces will receive a well-above inflation increase of 2.9 per cent, with the award worth £680 in pay to an average soldier, plus a one-off payment of £300. Addditionally, the teachers’ award means the main pay range will increase by 3.5 per cent (two per cent to upper pay range and 1.5 per cent to leadership), with schools able to determine how it is set.

All prison officers will get at least a 2.75 per cent increase this year, with many getting higher awards, while a police award of two per cent (all consolidated) will mean average pay for a constable will now be more than £38,600 per year.