Spending review deepens attack on public sector workers

26 June 2013

Today’s spending review has announced further attacks on public sector workers’ pay and job security.

As part of the £11.5 billion chop, public sector pay rises will be limited to an average of up to 1% by 2015-16 and automatic pay progression will come to an end for most workers, including those in the NHS, schools, police and prison services.

Swingeing cuts to the Department for Communities and Local Government, which has accepted an enormous 10% slash in its budget following a previous 60% reduction in the department. The Office for Budget Responsibility has forecast another 114,000 public sector workers will lose their jobs by 2015-16.

Cuts to the public sector are known to disproportionately impact on women, who are more likely to be state employees, and where privatisation or outsourcing to private companies by cash-strapped councils occurs, lower wages, poorer conditions and loss of trade union recognition are likely.

Dave Prentis, General Secretary of public sector organisation Unison, said: “Despite the best efforts of the private sector any jobs being created are part-time, low wage and do not replace the hundreds and thousands of public sector jobs that have been lost.”