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Public sector pay - tell us your stories

5 September 2008

PCS is campaigning for fair public sector pay - we are not asking for any favours, just a decent living wage.

"PCS members contribute every single day to the running of this country, and they’re not asking for double digit pay rises and pots of gold. What we’re asking for is a living wage and no cuts in our living standards." Mark Serwotka, PCS general secretary.

Victims not the causes of inflation

The government is saying that pay rises for public sector workers that match inflation would cause more inflation - even the experts say this is not the case.

PCS members are being squeezed by below inflation pay offers on one side and massive increases in the cost of living on the other.

  • Susan is a PCS member working in the prison service - she can't afford to a birthday present for her son.
  • Katie is a ministerial diary officer - she's living in shared accomodation and will never be able to afford her own place.
  • Carol is an internation trade adviser - she needs to drive because of her disability, yet she can't afford petrol for her car.
  • Mohammed is a case worker for the Child Support Agency - he has had to take a weekend job to make ends meet.

 

How is public sector pay affecting you - tell us your story here on PCS comment.

PCS members work hard to keep the country running - we deserve better. Find out more about our pay campaign.

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  1. Struggling

    12 February 2010

    I have worked for the Metropolitan Police for 23 years and still have approximately 20 years untill retirement. My husband and myself both work full time, he works for a local authority. Our pay rise is lower than the cost of inflation, because we are both working we are not entitled to any financial assistance, I have a £15,000 bank loan and half way through the month I have already run out of money. We need a higher amount of London Weighting to compensate for higher prices in the south east even in outer London. Now to add insult to injury they want to reduce the amount we would recieve from the Civil Service Compensation Scheme if we were to be made redundant adding to stress levels.

    Katherine O'Connor
    Pay award

    1 November 2008

    I started work as an AO band B with the DWP on the 16th July 2008 and my pay is £14700. A colleague who is doing the same job but started just 2 weeks earlier (01/07/08) has been awarded the pay rise. Can you tell me if you think that this is right. How can a grade have a different pay scale dependant on your start date.

    alison reason
    approaching pension age

    19 September 2008

    I have worked for DWP in it's various forms for over 40 years. I am due to retire next year. This year I get a zero % pay rise. This is my final year so I hoped this would be my best of the last 3 years for my pension calculation. How foolish a dream ! My income will now be affected for ever in my retirement. I contacted Leigh Lewis when our zero pay award was announced - he "understood my anger" but has done nothing to defuse it !!!! And all I can look forward to is high inflation - as we well know food, fuel costs, etc are all rising sharply. And no doubt "they" will expect us all to do lots more in this period of rising unemployment . Am I still angry ? - well, what do you think ?

    pam darby
    What a joke! (but I'm not laughing!)

    19 September 2008

    How on earth are we supposed to survive, let alone 'live' when we're awarded such ridiculous pay awards! My pay offer amounts to £468 per year. After Tax and NI that leaves me £26.91 per month. Not even enough to cover the rise in fuel bills... I have worked for this organisation for over 16 years and am at the maximum band for my payband. Therefore, I get very little (or nothing at all) in way of a pay increase. It's terrible!!! As another member has already stated 'this winter it will be a choice between food or heat!'. Gordon Brown doesn't live in the real world!!! Could he survive with £260 per week take home pay in this financial climate??? I'd love to see that!

    Anne Blundell
    stretching but not achievable

    9 September 2008

    Both my husband and I work for HMRC and are facing longer travelling times and costs to get to work (assuming that I keep a job) as our office is closing. My daughter- our youngest- will be going to University shortly and we will no longer receive child benefit or child tax credits from the end of the month despite the fact that she will be home 22 weeks a year. My husband on his pay maximum will get a lousy £20 a month rise whilst I have been cheated out of my pay progression rise. My son and daughter have recently been awarded university bursaries for the year totalling £1400 in additon to the full student grant. Perhaps it would be easier just to give us a decent pay award. Gordon Brown is always on about hard working families but clearly we don't count.

    Diana Webster
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