Call to exclude Scottish public sector from pay freeze

A pay freeze for public sector workers announced in yesterday’s budget should be rejected in Scotland, the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) has urged.

A one per cent pay cap on public sector workers for four years was announced by Chancellor George Osborne yesterday. This includes civil servants, teachers, nurses, police officers and members of the armed forces.

However the Scottish Parliament has control over the pay of civil and public servants in devolved areas, and the union which represents them has called for Finance Secretary John Swinney to reject the plan and work together towards a fair pay deal.

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Lynn Henderson, PCS Scottish Secretary said: "It is clear from this unbalanced budget that the Tories have no intent in allowing public sector staff to be part of the recovery. The SNP claim to reject austerity, so now is the time for Mr Swinney to throw the tartan cover off the Tory pay policy, and work with trade unions in longer term planning to lift public sector workers and the Scottish economy out of this Tory pay misery."

The Scottish Government has capped civil service pay at one per cent in recent years, but yesterday Swinney said the Scottish Government’s budget faced further cuts.

“There has been no easing up on austerity – he has simply shifted some of the balance from public services to the public themselves.

“The Scottish Government has faced a 10 per cent cut in our overall budget for the last five years and the Chancellor today said deficit reduction would take place at the same pace in the future. Overall the scale of austerity being imposed by this UK Government remains unchanged,” he said.

The PCS in Scotland will collate testimonies from members which will be presented at public hearings to local politicians in advance of the Scottish budget.