Launching the new campaign at the annual meeting of the Trade Union Congress in Brighton, Mike Clancy, Prospect general secretary, gave notice the union would be stepping up campaigning for a fair pay rise for all public service workers.

 

The campaign called ‘Public servants – working for you’ features a new website and focusses on the experiences of individual staff across the public sector – psworkingforyou.org.uk

 

Public service workers have seen their pay fall by 15 per cent since 2010, with the civil service now at its smallest size since the Second World War.

 

Prospect also said it would fight any moves by the government to only scrap the cap for selected public servants, such as teachers or NHS workers. The union wants to see the cap lifted for all public service workers, including both those covered by pay review bodies and Treasury Guidance.

 

Over the coming months, the new campaign will see Prospect:

• Lobbying MPs directly in their constituencies – already nearly 3,000 Prospect members have contacted their MPs over the issue of the public sector pay cap.
• Backing the TUC national day of action on public sector pay on 17 October.
• Organising local campaign days and workplace events for members across the country.

 

Speaking from Brighton, Mike Clancy, said:

 

“The punishment of public servants by capping pay must end. Prospect is preparing for action to end this unsustainable policy, which includes a campaign of real workplace opposition not rhetoric.

 

"Pay freeze, pay restraint, redundancies, more work, less resources, the government has taken public servants for granted for too long. We have tried to resolve these issues by dialogue and now we will change tack if we are not listened to.

 

“We have today launched our new campaign to step up pressure on the Chancellor to scrap the cap ahead of the Budget in November.

 

“The public sector pay cap has seen public sector pay fall by 15% on average in real terms. Cuts to spending have left many services dangerously short of the people they need to do the job properly.

 

“Our public services need more resources and public servants deserve better treatment.”