Scottish Government Introduces Pay Rise For Public Sector Employees

5th June 2024

The Scottish government has implemented a pay rise for public sector employees worth an average of 9.3% over the next three years.

The 2024-25 Public sector pay policy details a framework for pay increases for civil servants and other public sector workers. Apart from senior civil servants, it applies to those working in 71 public bodies, including the Scottish Prison Service, the Risk Management Authority and Historic Environment Scotland. They have the option of following it for one, two or three years.

The policy stated that the 9.3% increase, which consists of three lots of 3% rises, is comparative to forecast 5.7% inflation rates over the next three years. It was calculated using the average of forecasts from the Bank of England and the Office for Budget Responsibility for 2024-25, 2025-26 and 2026-27.

The framework offers public bodies the flexibility to draw up their own pay proposals, which consider workforce planning and local pay issues such as recruitment and retention, equality, and the impact of the low pay measures on other staff. It encourages them to consider their own staffing profile, local evidence, views of employees and unions, and equality issues, and consider a pay approach that could include setting a cash underpin, a higher percentage uplift, or a non-consolidated cash payment.

Source - Employee Benefits

PHOTO
St Andrews House, Edinburgh
Photographer - Liam McM - Wikipedia