Civil Service Long Term Pay Agreement

EDM number 1004 in 1990-91, proposed by Bill Michie on 19/06/1991.

That this House notes the agreement reached between the National Union of Civil and Public Servants and Her Majesty's Treasury in 1989 to establish a pay review body that was designed 'to secure the confidence of the staff that their pay will be determined fairly'; recalls that under the terms of the agreement the Office of Manpower Economics carries out an annual survey of pay settlements in the private sector and that every four years an independent body reviews actual pay levels in the private sector and compares a sample of Civil Service posts with those of a similar responsibility outside; is disturbed to learn that the first of these four yearly surveys showed that civil servants are paid on average 32 per cent. lower than their outside comparators, and is angered to discover that, despite the OME survey showing that increases of at least 9 per cent. are needed to tread water, the Treasury is only offering 7.8 per cent. and in recognition of the weakness of its position has refused to submit its case to arbitration; recognises that the anger amongst civil servants was shown by the overwhelming vote against the offer; and calls for the Government to make the necessary funds available to pay its own workers a decent living wage.

This motion has been signed by a total of 49 MPs.