In my bulletin B-11-22, Cost of Living Crisis - Civil Service Pay, of 11 October 2022, I referred to the former Finance Minister’s statement of intent regarding the budget and pay for the NICS.
More than one month on we are no closer to commencing negotiations on the pay award you were due from 1 August 2022. I share your anger and frustration about the unacceptable delay.
The Chancellor’s Autumn Statement on Friday, which will be the subject of a separate bulletin later this week, will have given many of you cause for further concern. It is quite clear that there will be nothing from this government to alleviate the hardship faced by workers in this cost of living crisis. While the rich continue to get richer, the real value of wages is being driven down.
I have no doubt those of you in the Administrative Assistant grades will be particularly conscious that your pay scales are below the living wage of £10.90 per hour that is due from next Spring. What is worse however, is that your scales as they currently stand are below the National Minimum Wage announced by the Chancellor as £10.42 per hour from April next year. It is incredible to think that specific action will be required to ensure that the pay of government employees is brought within the law.
It is entirely unacceptable that Civil Servants and those in ALBs are once more operating without ministerial direction and are, once again, keeping services going without local political oversight. Despite the ‘appreciation’ that has been voiced for the work you do, there is still no reward in terms of a pay increase. In the meantime, the value of your pay is being eroded every day with inflation.
NIPSA has been in a series of meetings with all the local parties to raise our concerns. You will be aware that it was following our meetings with the former Finance Minister that he issued his statement of intent regarding NICS pay.
I have also written to seek a meeting with the Secretary of State and his colleagues in the Northern Ireland Office (NIO), as they are now taking the budget decisions in the absence of an Executive. NIPSA considers the statement by the former Finance Minister as the absolute minimum for opening negotiations and we will be demanding that NIO Ministers consider NIPSA’s pay claim for inflation plus 5%. The Secretary of State and the NIO have been making time to meet with business leaders. We would expect them to take the time to hear the voice of NIPSA on your behalf.
We are now in a situation where workers in every area of the public sector are already in dispute or are balloting for industrial action to win the pay awards they deserve. There have been a series of successful disputes across all the local councils. Our NIPSA colleagues in Health and Social Care have had a tremendous ballot result with 92% in favour of industrial action and will be taking strike action in December alongside sister unions. The Teachers’ unions here have also had successful strike ballots and, as you will be aware, colleagues in PCS will be taking strike action in the UK Civil Service.
As things stand, and if our fate is in the hands of the NIO and the Tories, there is no doubt in my mind that you as NIPSA members in the NICS will also have to consider action to get what you deserve.
The Civil Service Executive Committee is due to meet on 5 December to discuss the next steps and a further bulletin will follow.
I can assure you that NIPSA will continue to represent your interests at every opportunity and I will continue to keep you informed.
Carmel Gates
General Secretary