Fact Service September 2012

Issue 36

How austerity affects public sector pay

An austerity pay calculator on the website of the PCS civil service union gives a personal estimate of the impact of the government’s austerity pay policies on a member’s income.

The austerity pay calculator can be used to see how much is lost because of the pay freeze/pay cap, increasing pension contributions and rises in the cost of living.

A PCS pay survey shows that austerity is biting hard:

• members have seen their income fall by an average of £100 a month in the last six months;

• 88% of people have cut down on spending to get through the month; and

• 54% of people said their wages don’t last the month.

www.pcs.org.uk/en/resources/pay/austerity-pay-calculator.cfm