If the morale of public sector workers slips any lower, it will be Prime Minister Gordon Brown who requires the flak jacket rather than Harriet Harman.
Already expecting the first national teachers’ strike in more than 20 years, the PM might also face industrial action over pay from civil servants, council workers and college lecturers. Meanwhile, NHS workers are livid that they do not even know their pay offer, despite the fact that the award should have come into effect on April 1.
No wonder Brown took the option of leaving the country for the delights of the Nato summit in Romania.
However, this issue will not go away. Brown is at risk of alienating public servants who are dealing on a day-to-day basis with the effects of the economic downturn.
Mortgage payments and food, energy and council tax bills are all rising at a rate well beyond the government’s 2% pay cap.
Brown needs public servants on side, particularly as he confirmed this week that there would be no let-up in the reform agenda.
Moreover, with the local elections only a few weeks away, this is not the time to alienate what historically has been Labour’s core vote.
The prime minister argues that discipline on public sector pay must be maintained, otherwise the inflation rate will be pushed up. But, in reality, public servants are the victims of inflation and not the causes.
The government has introduced an arbitrary cap, which it adheres to strictly for one group of employees but not for another. In doing so, it appears inconsistent and undermines the independent pay review bodies.
This is clearly not the time for excessive pay claims but it is also not sensible to inflict real-terms pay cuts.
Brown is more than willing to offer support to businesses – including some that have been far from disciplined – to help them ride out the credit crunch. He should find a way to offer the same level of support to hard-working public servants and their families.
