UNITED KINGDOM
Unions representing United Kingdom Public Servants are going to Court over the Government’s failure to consult then on its new pay policy.
The three unions, representing 200,000 public employees, have accused Ministers of never intending to consult staff before offering a new pay cap of 1.5 per cent.
The FDA, Prospect, and the Public and Commercial Services (PCS) unions said they were taking the unprecedented step after Government promises to negotiate failed to materialise.
Solicitors for the Government are expected to claim that no such undertakings were made and that the Government is not obliged to consult with the unions.
It is the first time that public sector unions have sought a judicial review over the Government’s failure to consult.
The move reflects a deep frustration among the PS which has seen other public employees receive pay increases after consultations.
General Secretary of the FDA, Dave Penman, said the Government’s consultation process on pay had been shambolic.
“This, more than anything, demonstrates the perilous state of industrial relations in the Civil Service,” Mr Penman said.
Secretary of Prospect, Mike Clancy (pictured) said the refusal to consult in any meaningful way demonstrated a disdain for hundreds of thousands of Public Servants.
“By treating Civil Servants differently and worse than those employed in other parts of the public sector, the Government has shown how little they value their vital contribution,” Mr Clancy said.
General Secretary of the PCS, Mark Serwotka said that not content with reneging on its commitments to engage in consultation on an issue as fundamental as pay, the Government was now adding insult to injury by claiming it never intended to consult in the first place.
“This shambolic state of affairs cannot go unchallenged and we will now pursue this matter to the High Court,” Mr Serwotka said.
London, 12 August, 2018
