PCS calls on government to "level up" civil service pay

The Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union has called on the government to “level up” civil servant pay after new research reveals wages are lower now than they were in 1975 when Harold Wilson was Prime Minister.

An analysis of pay trends in the civil service by Dr Mark Williams from Queen Mary University, London shows civil servants’ wages were 5% above the average UK wage in the 1970s and 80s but today are 10% below the average.

Matters got worse when austerity was introduced, with pay falling on average 1.5% per year since 2011.

The research has been released by PCS to show the massive disparities the government needs to address in its own workers’ pay. 

PCS general secretary Fran Heathcote said: “Successive governments should hang their heads in shame at the way they’ve treated their own workforce over the last 50 years.

“We hear a lot of talk from ministers saying how much they value our members’ work. Now is the time for them to put their money where their mouth is and level up their pay.

“We won serious concessions from the government last year as a result of our industrial action, including a £1,500 bonus, but there’s still a long way to go before we get back to the comparative pay of the 1970s.

“Civil servants play a huge role in making sure the country runs smoothly and it’s about time the government recognised that by giving our members a well-deserved pay rise.”

ends

A summary of the report can be downloaded from here.