NEF report identifies 6 steps for public sector pay justice - now it's over to us

Research by the New Economics Foundation (NEF) think-tank, commissioned by UNISON, is the latest in a long line of reports to identify that ‘workers on low and middle incomes are experiencing the biggest decline in their living standards since reliable records began in the mid-19th century.’      
   The NEF sets out 6 excellent recommendations (below) for government and other policy makers to adopt. However it should be added to the mix that union agency in collective bargaining, including the effective and smart use of strike tactics, will be critical to realising pay justice for workers who provide public services in the UK:

NEF 6 key recommendations for public sector action:

1.Active support at all levels of government to ensure the living wage is paid by employers across public service supply chains, directly benefiting 1 million public service workers today.

2.Government to lift the pay cap, which has resulted in pay in public services falling by more than £2000 a year on average in real terms since 2010.

3.Policy action by government to establish robust fair wage resolutions determining benchmarks for employment conditions across public service supply chains.

4.Active support by government for collective bargaining of pay and employment standards throughout public service organisations and businesses.

5.Action by policy-makers, commissioners and employers to scrap zero-hours contracts in key sectors such as social care.

6.Implementation of new indicators, such as mandatory reporting of top, middle and bottom pay by employers across public service supply chains.