Unions are leveraging the arrival of new leadership to press for improved pay deals, with threats of strikes looming in the National Health Service and education sectors. These demands come as recent data indicates that public sector salaries are increasing at a faster rate than those in the private sector.
The British Medical Association (BMA) has called on the new Health Secretary, Yvette Cooper, to improve relations with the NHS workforce by increasing wages. The BMA highlighted ongoing disputes with consultants and resident doctors, noting that consultants have recently voted to strike unless their pay is enhanced. Resident doctors accepted a pay package last month that amounts to 6.6 percent over two years, backdated to April of the previous year. Starting salaries for these doctors are now over £40,000, with senior residents earning a basic pay of £76,500, excluding potential allowances.
Dr. Emma Runswick, deputy chair of the BMA council, stated that as Health Secretary, Cooper has an opportunity to reset relations with the NHS workforce. Runswick emphasized the need to reverse pay erosion and the undermining of the profession, which has led doctors to take industrial action in recent years. She added that securing a solution to avoid short-term industrial action by senior hospital doctors and safeguard the profession and patient care must be a priority. While resident doctors accepted a recent deal, Runswick cautioned that the government must ensure its implementation to prevent further disputes.
Meanwhile, the National Education Union (NEU) is preparing to ballot its members for industrial action over a proposed 3.5 percent pay increase for the current year, which they describe as below inflation. NEU General Secretary Daniel Kebede urged the incoming Secretary of State for Education, Lucy Powell, to abandon austerity measures and allocate more funding. Kebede stated that schools have been underfunded for too long and are now being asked to find nearly half a billion pounds to cover the gap in the government's teacher pay offer. The NEU plans to launch a formal ballot in October.
The government recently accepted recommendations for teachers to receive a 3.5 percent pay rise starting in September, followed by a 3 percent increase in September 2027. However, the Department for Education indicated that schools would need to fund the initial 1 percent of each pay award, a move the NEU estimates will cost £460 million.
These union actions coincide with official figures showing a divergence in pay growth. Between March and May, regular pay in the private sector increased by 2.9 percent annually, compared to 5.5 percent in the public sector over the same period. With headline Consumer Price Index (CPI) inflation averaging 3 percent over the three months, workers in the private sector are experiencing a decrease in real pay.