Public sector workers on the front line of dealing with the coronavirus pandemic will be given a pay rise, the Chancellor has announced.
Doctors, teachers and police officers are among those who will see extra money in their pay packet after a testing few months since Covid-19 hit the UK.
More than 300 NHS workers, including doctors, nurses and healthcare assistants, have died in England alone after contracting the deadly virus, many doing so while caring for patients.
Teachers continued looking after the children of key workers throughout the lockdown while police have been enforcing social distancing rules, which at their sternest forbade leaving the house except for specified circumstances.
The above-inflation pay rise announced on Tuesday will see almost 900,000 workers benefit, with teachers and doctors seeing the largest increase at 3.1% and 2.8% respectively, according to the Treasury.
However, a huge amount of public sector workers have been left out of this pay announcement GMB, Britain’s general union, says today’s pay rise announcement will affect just 20% of public sector workers in England.
Real-terms cuts
John Phillips, GMB Acting General Secretary, said: “Today’s announcement does nothing for the vast majority of public sector workers.
“Low-paid support staff will not see their wages rise, and NHS workers remain stuck on a pay settlement that has meant real-terms cuts for long-serving staff.
“These recommendations will affect just 20% of England’s 4.4 million public sector workers.
“If the Government was serious about recognising the sacrifices made by public sector workers then they’d ensure desperately needed pay rises for all groups.
“Many of our NHS staff, teaching assistants, local authority workers, care workers and civil servants are struggling to pay the bills after a decade of real terms pay cuts.
“Words are hollow without actions.”
Related – Pay rise announced for almost 900,000 public sector workers