Why might public sector workers go on strike again?
Summary
The UK Labour government may face strikes from public sector workers, including teachers and nurses, over pay. This comes after health and education departments in England stated they can only afford a pay increase of 2.8% despite recommendations by review bodies for rises of 4% for teachers and 3% for National Health Service (NHS) workers.Key Facts
- The UK government accepted recommendations to increase public sector pay by 4.75% - 6% for the year 2024-25.
- New recommendations for pay rises in 2025-26 are higher than what the health and education departments have budgeted for.
- The health and education departments can only afford to increase pay by 2.8%.
- Teachers' pay recommendation is 4% and the NHS recommendation is 3%.
- Ongoing concerns about recruitment and retention in schools likely have influenced the higher pay raise recommendation for teachers.
- In 2024-25, when adjusted for inflation, the average teacher's pay was lower than in 2010.
- Based on Office for National Statistics data, the total UK public sector pay was £272 billion in 2023-24.
- The cost of meeting recommended pay rises for 2024-25 was an additional £9.4 billion.
- If total public sector pay increased 3% instead of the budgeted 2.8%, the government would need an extra £550 million. A raise of 4% requires an extra £3.5 billion.
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