Last year over 3,500 Prospect members wrote to their MP urging them to pressure the Chancellor, Philip Hammond to scrap the 1% pay cap in the public sector. We know your campaigning work is having an impact as the government is showing some signs of movement, but we must keep up the pressure.
Can you write to the Chancellor, Philip Hammond urging him to scrap the 1% pay cap for all public sector workers and to ensure adequate funding across our public services?
Although a model email has been provided, we encourage you to edit it to include your own background and experiences.
If you work in a specialist or professional role in the Public Service or private sector and you're not already a Prospect member, you may wish also to consider joining us at Prospect.
Dear Philip Hammond, Chancellor of the Exchequer,
I am writing to urge you to end the 1% pay cap for civil servants and other public sector workers.
Public servants have made their contribution to fixing the economy. But the result of seven years of pay restraint, and rising inflation, has led to a fall in living standards and financial insecurity for many.
Many public servants have seen their take-home pay cut by more than 15% in real terms since 2010. With rising inflation and no change in government policy, this situation is set to only get worse. And now many parts of the public sector are reporting increased difficulties in recruiting and retaining the skilled staff that they need as pay now lags significantly behind the private sector.
Whilst ministers have referred to the role of Pay Review Bodies in determining the pay of public servants, this is irrelevant to many public sector workers, like me, who like 90% of Civil Servants and more than half of the staff working in the wider public sector are not covered by Pay Review Bodies. This government has been silent as to how they should be treated and it is time they received a clear answer.
Our public servants deserve a pay rise, so I urge you to ensure a fair deal for staff working across out public services and end the arbitrary 1% pay cap.