The United Kingdom Government has made a new pay offer to restive Public Service unions in an effort to avert further strike action.
Union officials said Public Servants below senior grades have been offered a lump sum of £1,500 ($A2,814) to cover the 2022-23 financial year.
Bureaucrats have staged a number of strikes in recent months, with unions calling for pay to reflect the rising cost of living.
The fresh offer has been broadly welcomed by union officials who said they were now considering it.
Unions said as well as the lump sum, the deal also included a moratorium on any changes to the Civil Service Compensation Scheme, and Ministers had committed to avoid compulsory redundancies.
Last month, the Government published new plans for an average 4.5 per cent pay increase for Public Servants, with an additional 0.5 per cent for lower pay bands.
UK Inflation has dipped slightly from above 10 per cent to 8.7 per cent.
General Secretary of the Prospect union, Mike Clancy said he welcomed the new offer which “addresses the three issues at the heart of this dispute”.
“This payment will help to address the cost-of-living crisis our members have been facing,” Mr Clancy said.
“For too long they have been at the back of the queue when it comes to public sector pay.”
Minister for the Cabinet Office, Jeremy Quin said he was pleased with the constructive engagement between the Government and trade unions.
He said the offer was both fair to the taxpayer and recognition of the financial pressures Public Servants had faced over the past year.
General Secretary of the FDA union, Dave Penman said the new pay deal represented a clear demonstration that the message from previous strikes had now been heard.
“For the first time in many years, we have reached a tangible, positive outcome for the Civil Service which compares well with the rest of the public sector,” Mr Penman said.
London, 5 June 2023
