Unions to ballot workers over restrictions to public-sector pay increases

Construction unions are to ballot local authority construction workers for strike action after becoming the latest group to reject government restrictions on public-sector pay increases.

Unions, including Ucatt, the Transport & General Workers Union and GMB are angry that public-sector pay increase offers are being limited to between 2.4% and 2.5%, way below the current rate of inflation of 3.3%.

T&G construction official Bob Blackman said: "Workers doing the same job with private contractors on outsourced public-sector contracts are getting a 6% pay increase under the Construction Industry Joint Council agreement. It's a bit ridiculous asking public-sector workers to settle for almost two-thirds less than that."

The government is committed to controlling fast building inflationary pressures in the economy by restricting public-sector pay increases to a maximum of 2.5%.

The move has resulted in a range of public-sector workers, including the police, nurses and teachers, to threaten strike action over government belt-tightening.

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