Public supports equal pay calls

10/06/2008

The public supports calls for equal pay deals for public sector workers, the Trades Union Congress (TUC) has claimed.

It cited a new YouGov poll, which found 79 per cent agreed public sector pay should keep up with the cost of living and 68 per cent said it was unfair if their pay rises were less than other workers.

"Voters think that public sector pay should keep up with the cost of living, and that this should include housing," said TUC general secretary, Brendan Barber.

Currently, the government calculates public sector pay awards based on the Consumer Price Index (CPI). The TUC has complained this measure excludes increasing housing costs and leaves public servants out of pocket.

It said the poll showed nine out of ten adults agreed "when working out the cost of living faced by people who work, the government should include the cost of housing and energy bills".

Gordon Brown has pledged the government will "do everything in our power" for the armed forces after it was reported they received only a 2.6 per cent pay rise this year.

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