Hiding behind the pay review bodies will not help end the strikes

24th December 2022

Gemma Tetlow writing for the Institute for Government looks at a topic we have a recently heard more about from Ministers on the public sector pay topic.

Are ministers hiding behind Pay Review bodies or ae they performing a necessary service?

Pay review bodies serve an important function.

Review body recommendations are constrained by the scope of the remit ministers give them

There are good reasons for other factors to be built into the remits.

When circumstances change, the evidence should be reassessed

Resolving the strikes will require flexibility on both sides

She concludes , "Understanding the strength of each side's case will require a sober assessment of the evidence. Reaching an agreement will require a willingness to compromise on both sides and avoiding the temptation to become too invested in being seen to ‘win'. The pay review bodies offer a valuable service in assessing and independently evaluating the evidence on key public sector workforces. But they only guide ministers' decisions, they do not dictate the outcomes. "

Read the full article HERE