Public sector workers could see pay rise of just 3.5 per cent next year

Public sector workers could see a pay increase of 3.5% next year, following a submissions by government departments to the pay review process.

More than a million workers, including police officers and NHS staff, could see the rise. But with inflation as high as 10% according to some metrics, the wage increase would still amount to a real-terms cut as the UK battles a cost-of-living crisis.

A host of Whitehall departments announced on Tuesday what level of pay rise would be affordable for 2023/24, with 3.5% the favoured increase for most. Only the Ministry of Justice (MoJ), when giving its submission for those working in the prison service, differed by saying it would not provide a base figure, instead submitting proposals for wages depending on pay band.

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The submissions pave the way for police, teachers, NHS workers, doctors and dentists, as well as those working in the judiciary, to receive a 3.5% pay bump in the next financial year. The UK Government’s evidence will now be reviewed by the independent pay bodies, which will make formal recommendations to ministers.

The submissions follow a wave of industrial action across the public sector, with nurses, teachers and border force officials on strike in recent weeks. The Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) said “funding is available for pay awards up to 3.5%”, with the same amount deemed affordable for dentists and doctors.

The NHS Pay Review Body is responsible for making recommendations on the pay of more than one million NHS staff paid under the Agenda for Change contract, with a separate body for doctors, dentists and very senior managers. Unite general