Regional pay: take action now

 

This Tory-led government wants to change the rules so that nurses, care workers, teachers and all the others who work for the good of society will be paid differently depending on where they live - even though they’re doing exactly the same job.

If the Government gets its way, public sector workers in some parts of the country could see their pay frozen, or even cut. Those hardest hit would be the people working in the regions of our country worst affected by recession.

The Tories’ proposal will make regional inequalities even worse than they already are. Public services in the most deprived parts of the country will be hit hardest, struggling to attract skilled workers because they can’t match the wages offered in wealthier regions.

The Government even has the cheek to claim that regional pay will help us out of the recession – when the reality is that public sector workers suffer a long and painful pay freeze. If we force our public sector workers to work for less money, they will have cut back even further on household spending. How can we expect local business to grow if their customers aren’t spending?

If the Government do press ahead with regional pay, it could even end up costing taxpayers more. Schools, hospitals and other public bodies will have to spend time and money setting up complex and bureaucratic processes for setting pay.

Speak up for fair pay for our public sector workers - across the UK.

Take action now.