Civil Service v Politicians: That old question of pay
Not wishing to rake over the coals of old posts, I wasn't planning on mentioning pay rises ever again [as if!]. Some topics are too tempting, so it's with no great pleasure from me and no great surprise from you, that the civil service in Wales is up in arms when it comes to the inflation busting pay-rise of Assembly Members due to an increase in workload.
We all heard Dafydd Elis-Thomas' rallying call of, "the price to pay for effective democracy", although it did manage to fall on some deaf ears at the time.
The Civil Service and their counterpart officials in the Assembly Commission, do not think that it feels like democracy when politicians receive an inflation busting pay rise while some staff receive a pay cut in real terms.
According the the PCS Union, one of the comments made on the BBC website at the time said:
It is typical of today's politicians. They tell the country that the taxpayer can't afford to fund pay increases for the people who work in this country. Yet when it comes to their own already inflated salaries; the more the better. [ouch!]
Pulling no punches, the Cardiff based South Wales Echo simply titled their story of the AM pay rise as 'Hypocrites'.
A similar situation arises when it comes to the bonuses paid to Senior Civil Servants [yes, as discussed in previous posts, they do receive bonuses on top of their salary] within the Assembly. The PCS Union has discovered through a 'Freedom of Information' request, that senior civil servants working within the Assembly have shared between themselves bonuses totalling £686,871.75 [shock!]
These bonuses and ministerial rises are set against a backdrop of pay inequalities across the Assembly and uncertainties regarding the continuing payment of the non-consolidated award to former ASPB staff [Quango staff to you and I]. Clearly the First Minister's pledge that no member of staff will be disadvantaged by the mergers is progressively being seen as empty rhetoric [ASPB/Quango staff from the major Welsh public bodies were merged with the Assembly in April 2006].
Staff and the PCS Union are currently concerned that these issues are having very serious consequences for morale in the Assembly workplace, and will considerably undermine the continuing efforts to integrate Assembly and former ASPB staff.
[Source: PCS]
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3 comments:
check out the stats on pay parity civil service/public sector to private sector its a disgrace We are the only place where Public sector gets more pay , more perks and works leass
the reason for the increase in the AM's pay is that they've all been effectively promoted to do a different job with more responsibilities. That's different to a pay rise for someone who's doing the same job and the same responsibilities.
From my experience of many in the civil service they're negative and lacking in any effort ... and a good number are institutionally hostile to any new Welsh development seeing it as a threat to their cosy world view. If PCS members are not happy with their job they can get a job in the public sector. They don't know how lucky they are.
The big question is what they hell are MPs earning and what the hell for?
A job for life culture still exists in the civil service and about 10% wouldn't be missed. Culling is needed :)
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