Public Sector
Tory MP sparks fury after claiming junior nurses are paid more than “hairdressers, plumbers or carpenters”
Nurses have been told by a Tory MP they get paid more than “hairdressers, plumbers or carpenters”.<p>Eddie Hughes MP has sparked anger by claiming …
ReferendumsUK budget deficit narrows in boost for Philip Hammond
Public finances still rising as a proportion of GDP despite unexpectedly strong figures for August<p>Britain’s public sector spending deficit dropped to its lowest August total since 2007 following a boost in VAT revenues and a squeeze on local authority borrowing.<p>The deficit in August stood at …
EconomicsGovernment borrowing at lowest August level for 10 years
<b>Bumper VAT receipts have helped government borrowing to fall to its lowest August level since 2007, according to official figures.</b><p>The government's deficit narrowed to £5.7bn last month, compared with £7bn a year earlier, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said.<p>VAT receipts rose by 5.6% from …
EconomyPublic sector pay cap: NHS staff real income cut by almost £2,000 over seven years of wage squeeze
The damage inflicted on the living standards of NHS staff by the Government's pay freezes and caps has been underlined by new figures, which show the …
EconomicsCompanies forced to consider pay rises as skills shortage bites
Britain’s businesses are increasingly running short of workers and will struggle to grow further with their current workforces, it has been claimed.<p>The Recruitment and Employment Confederation found 42pc of companies have no capacity to expand without taking on more staff, up from 34pc a year …
Institute for Fiscal StudiesKeeping 1% public sector pay cap could damage public services, says IFS - Politics live
Rolling coverage of the day’s political developments as they happen
Theresa May's claim police got a 32% pay rise left in tatters by damning expert report
Five million public sector workers have suffered an average real terms pay cut of 4% since 2010, a report says today.<p>The Government has repeatedly …
BrexitFinnish government eyes €1bn savings through digitisation
Finland ranks as one of the EU’s most advanced digital economies. Behind this is a government focus on digitisation across public services with …
Business TechnologyMinisters face pay cap conundrum, says the IFS
<b>Ministers need to raise public sector pay to help retain skilled staff, the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) economic research group has said.</b><p>More restraint "would take public pay to historically low levels relative to that in the private sector", it says.<p>Average weekly public sector pay has …
EconomicsTheresa May tells unions to 'think again' over illegal strike action against public sector pay limits
Trade union leaders planning illegal strikes in protest at public sector pay curbs should “think again” about the harm caused to the public, Theresa …
BrexitWhat will cost more than lifting the public sector pay cap? Not lifting it
The status quo is maintained at a big cost to wider society and the economy. Yet still the Tories’ dodgy maths hoodwinks far too many people<p>The Conservatives are finally backing down on the public sector pay cap – but not without a fight, and not without confusing the maths. I’m guessing the …
OpinionAustralian Taxation Office looks to the cloud to put crashes in the past as tech exec quits
The ATO has lost a key tech executive, but says a plan to push into cloud computing will make it perform better and avoid a future recurrence of its …
Australian Taxation OfficeDEBATE: Should MPs give a blanket pay raise of 3.9 per cent to NHS workers?
Should MPs give a blanket pay raise of 3.9 per cent to NHS workers?<p>Richard Angell, director of the think tank Progress, says YES.<p>NHS staff are …
Social JusticePolice and nurses striking together: it’s no longer impossible
The public sector was fragmented. But pay freezes and cuts to services have finally brought it together<p>When the prime minister raises the terror threat level to critical, as Theresa May did for 48 hours after Friday’s London tube bombing, you think you know what that means. And in some ways, you …
OpinionLabour Would Not Give Public Sector Workers A Real-Terms Pay Rise, Confirms Dawn Butler
The party would only commit to matching inflation with any increase.<p>Labour would not give nurses, police officers and teachers a real-term pay rise …
EconomicsSunday shows round-up: Amber Rudd says Boris is ‘back-seat driving’ over Brexit
<b>Amber Rudd – Boris should not ‘back-seat drive’ over Brexit</b><p>The Home Secretary took to Andrew Marr’s sofa in the wake of the Friday’s failed terrorist attack on a London Underground train at Parson’s Green station. However, the topic swiftly turned from security to Boris Johnson’s latest 4,000 word …
BrexitOne million public sector worker jobs axed in seven years as education, police and Armed Forces hit
Nearly one million public sector worker jobs have been axed since 2010, new official figures show.<p>Seven years ago 6.4 million worked in the public …
Armed ForcesPublic sector employment is at 70-year low, says GMB report
GMB union criticises government policy as report says the public sector jobs share is now 16.9%, the lowest since 1947<p>Public sector employment has fallen to a 70-year low in terms of share of the labour market, the GMB union has said, with the loss of just under a million public sector jobs since …
EconomyThe ‘sacrificing’ public servant is an old Kenyan myth
Those consultants earning big money to send reports to the SRC just told us all an expensive joke
Social JusticeInterview: Singapore needs more talent to skip public sector, start a business
SINGAPORE -- Singapore needs to change its tradition of channeling the "best and the brightest" into the public sector if it is to improve its …
Innovation'Golden goodbyes' for NHS managers now costing £39 million as redundancies soar
Spending on so-called “golden goodbyes” and voluntary redundancy deals has shot up to £39 million a year at the Department of Health (DoH) - an …
Health CareUnions call for 3.9% pay rise plus £800 for 1 million NHS staff
Demand is based on RPI inflation figure and back pay for seven years of 0% and 1% pay rises, after recent lifting of pay cap for prison and police officers<p>Unions have ramped up the pressure on Theresa May over public sector pay by demanding a 3.9% rise for 1 million NHS staff plus an extra £800 to …
Philip HammondThink Tanks Affiliated With ALEC Work to Crush Public Unions
<b>MARK KARLIN, EDITOR OF BUZZFLASH AT TRUTHOUT</b>Scott Walker and Wisconsin are serving as a model for contemporary state union-busting. Wisconsin …
FascismGovernment unveils plans for £30m big data innovation centre - NS Tech
The government has unveiled plans to build a £30m National Innovation Centre for Data that will connect academics with industry and the public sector.<p>…
Big DataMay’s public pay fix is too little, and too late
The Health Foundation’s Anita Charlesworth wonders how the easing of the public sector pay cap will be funded. Geoff Booth reckons Tory self-interest has prompted the change<p>The government’s signalling of the end of the public sector pay cap (Report, 12 September) is a welcome development, but no …
Health CareTories defeated on NHS pay rise motion after DUP backs Labour
The Conservatives have suffered a defeat in the Commons on a Labour motion on public sector pay, calling for higher wages for doctors and nurses.<p>The …
BrexitUK unemployment rate falls to lowest level in 42 years
Britain’s labour market set a new record for employment in the three months to the end of July, but the rise in the number of people in work was …
EconomyPolice will get pay rise as public sector pay cap is lifted
<b>Police officers are set to get a pay rise of more than 1% – meaning the government has decided to end the public sector pay cap.</b><p>Forces will have to …
More flexible approach needed on public sector pay, says PM May
LONDON (Reuters) - Prime Minister Theresa May said on Wednesday her government would need to be more flexible on public sector pay in the future, and …
EconomyPolice Union Accuses Theresa May Of Telling A 'Downright Lie' About Pay Rise
PM claimed officers received a 32% pay increase.<p>Theresa May has been accused by the Police Federation of telling a “downright lie” in the House of …
Brexit