Pressure to Lift Public Sector Pay Cap

Dear Members,

The Conservative Prime Minister will face fresh pressure today after a damning report showed the impact of years of pay freezes and the public sector pay cap. The Guardian reports that teachers have seen average pay fall by £3 an hour in real terms, police officers by £2 an hour, and nurses’ wages are 14% lower.

Calls to Lift the 1% Wage Cap

Senior figures, including Boris Johnson, Jeremy Hunt, Justine Greening, and Michael Gove, all indicated that the 1% cap on wages ought to be lifted immediately.

Theresa May’s Statement

“Our economy should work for everyone, but if your pay has stagnated for several years in a row and fixed items of spending keep going up, it doesn’t feel like it’s working for you.”

TUC Findings and Funding Priorities

The Workers of England Union supports the TUC’s findings that polling immediately after the election showed more than three-quarters of voters wanted to end the artificial pay restrictions. We should also remember that Theresa May, only a few days ago, allocated £1.0 billion of English taxes to the DUP for Northern Ireland—funds that could have contributed to lifting the pay cap.

Critique of the DUP Deal

Campaign Director Eddie Bone criticised the DUP deal on the Express online website:

“Theresa May has shown utter contempt for the English taxpayer by using English money to buy DUP votes. Currently, the English taxpayer funds Northern Ireland by £10.4 billion per year as England is the only country that contributes more than it takes under the Barnett formula. Now, they are being told that they have to give another £1.0 billion over two years to Northern Ireland. By paying the DUP with English money, Theresa May has wilfully damaged the UK. How much longer can the English taxpayers continue to be treated as fools by the British government?”

“Theresa May doesn’t care about the English taxpayer because she has just given away £1.0 billion of English taxes to Northern Ireland. Please just consider what could be accomplished if that £1.0 billion was spent in England. After all, it does belong to England because English taxpayers are net contributors under the Barnett formula.”

A Call for an English Parliament

“A strong English voice in an English Parliament is the only way to stop this foolhardy government from giving more English taxes away to Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. An English Parliament is urgently needed if England’s future is to be protected!”

Read more about the drive to lift the public sector pay cap.