Labour Research May 2007

News

Civil service pay

The PCS civil service union has put a series of questions on its campaign to defend jobs, conditions and services to party leaders and candidates standing in the 3 May elections.

On the union's claim for a national civil service pay framework, the Liberal Democrats accepted that pay differences may act as a disincentive. Plaid Cymru looked to the creation of a single Welsh civil service and was "not opposed" to levels of pay being determined at an all-Wales level. The Scottish National Party (SNP) responded in general terms about a pay framework that is "transparent and fair". The Conservative Party rejected a "one size fits all pay framework" (with over 200 separate pay negotiations, the union wants greater coherence). As Labour Research went to press, the Labour Party had not responded.