PUBLIC SECTOR PAY
Civil service pay structure is broken, says Prospect union
Below-inflation pay rises, poor pay progression, fragmented bargaining units, bottlenecks at the Treasury – all have contributed to a widespread perception that the civil service pay structure is broken and needs fixing.
That is the main finding of a survey of 5,300 specialists and managers in civil service bodies published by Prospect, the union for professionals. The survey – an online poll carried out between May and August 2008 – blames the low morale of specialists on the unfair and inadequate pay systems operated by the government in departments, agencies and non-departmental public bodies.
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“The chaotic state of civil service pay is doing serious damage to the quality of science and technical advice carried out for government,” said Dai Hudd, Prospect Deputy General Secretary. “Two-thirds of our members say that morale has fallen in the last year.”
Key survey findings
63% of specialists are more dissatisfied at their workplace than last year
51% would not recommend a career in the civil service
74% are angry at the lack of pay progression – the single biggest cause of dissatisfaction
49% say poor pay and career opportunities have driven them to look for a job outside the civil service
76% of specialists who receive bonus payments say they are unfairly distributed.
Industrial action
The survey follows a rash of disputes during the 2007-08 pay rounds, involving Prospect members in the Ministry of Defence; Department for Environment; Department for Constitutional Affairs; HM Prison Service; Maritime and Coastguard Agency; Valuation Office; Science Museum; British Museum; National Gallery; Museum of London; and National Museums Liverpool.
By 1 September this year, less than a quarter of civil service bargaining units had settled their 2008 pay review. The Treasury is struggling to impose its 2% pay ceiling in the face of widespread resistance from employing departments and agencies as well as trade union members. In some areas, pay reviews have still not been completed for 2007.
Reform required
Prospect is calling on the Treasury and the Cabinet Office to recognise the failings of the present delegated pay system and to reform pay structures in line with the reform agendas already implemented by government in the NHS and education sectors.
Want to know more?
Title: Civil Service Online Survey 2008, Prospect.
Survey sample: The survey was posted on the Prospect web site, promoted to the union’s 34,000 civil service members by email and publicised in the union’s publications. There were 5,361 responses.
Availability: Download the survey report, free of charge, in PDF format from www.prospect.org.uk/doclib/civilservice/civil_service_pay_and_careers_in_crisis.
Prospect is a trade union with more than 102,000 members in the public and private sectors. Its members are engineers, scientists, managers and specialists in areas as diverse as agriculture, defence, energy, environment, heritage, shipbuilding and transport. To find out more visit www.prospect.org.uk.