Civil servants in England to strike as unions call pay offer ‘insulting’
Civil service unions in England have warned of a fresh wave of industrial action, after the government announced that pay rises would be limited to 4.5% to 5%, in a move dismissed by union leaders as “insulting”.
The two sides have been involved in talks in recent weeks, but it is understood the increase was presented to them as non-negotiable.
Those covered include the 100,000-plus members of the PCS who have taken part in a wave of strikes in recent months, as well as senior civil servants represented by the FDA union.
The new pay guidance appears significantly less generous than the offer currently being consulted on by NHS staff, which includes a one-off bonus, as well as a 5% pay increase for 2023-24.
Official pay remit guidance published by the Cabinet Office on Friday allows for average pay awards of 4.5%, plus an additional 0.5% for the lowest pay bands.
Civil service unions reacted with fury. The PCS general secretary, Mark Serwotka, said: “This insulting proposal will serve only to anger PCS members, stiffen their resolve ahead of the forthcoming re-ballot and increase the likelihood of a new wave of sustained strike action.”
The PCS is balloting to continue its industrial action, which has hit public services from border checks to driving tests, while the FDA’s executive is holding an emergency meeting on Wednesday to consider balloting for industrial action.
Members of the FDA, who include some of Whitehall’s most senior bureaucrats, last took part in strikes more than a decade ago, in 2011, during a dispute over public sector pensions.
Another civil service union, Prospect, representing tens of thousands of technical and specialist staff such as government scientists, said it would press ahead with strike action on
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