Public servants ‘just want fairness on pay’

(20/09/08) Public service workers are crying out for fairness – and fairness is the catchphrase for this year’s Labour conference , which opened in Manchester on Saturday: “fair rules, fair chances, and a fair say”. But there is no indication that a fair deal on pay is in the offing. During a panel discussion on the economy, both the chancellor and the prime minister signalled the government intends to hold fast to its unjust public service pay policy.“I know and understand people’s frustration about wages,” Gordon Brown acknowledged. “We want to be fair to all those who contribute to our public services.”But he offered no hopes of an inflation-linked pay rise to help public service workers cope with soaring living costs.“We will maintain and extend investment in public services,” Mr Brown pledged. “But we used to get into an inflationary spiral,” he continued. This time, he said, “we are going to tackle the inflation problems at source.”Chancellor Alistair Darling also suggested that increasing public service pay would fuel inflation. “It is important that we are fair and we continue to put money into public services, but it is also important that we avoid getting into a situation where inflation is entrenched in this country,” he said.They were speaking in response to a question from UNISON’s Wendy Nichols, who warned that you can’t deliver top-class public services with a demoralised staff.Though the union recognised Labour’s investment in public services over the past 11 years, “many public service workers don’t,” she said. “They feel stressed and demoralised and angry.“We’re not asking for riches; we’re asking for fairness,” Ms Nichols said. “Is that too much to ask, prime minister?”