In it's "A Plan for Scotland 2016-2017" published earlier this year the Scottish Government promised that it would "use additional income tax setting powers for the first time, in a manner consistent with our objectives of growing Scotland's economy, promoting fairness and providing additional investment in high quality public service". On the 15th December Finance Secretary Derek Mackay unveiled a budget which in Prospects view fell a long way short of this agenda.
Once again public sector members in Scotland will face the same 1% cap on pay, at a time of increasing uncertainty over inflation and interest rates, at a time when members are being expected to address the surge in work created by the decision to leave the European Union, Prospect believes that this is not the way to invest in high quality public service.
The Public Sector Pay Policy for 2017-18 published alongside the budget contains the following key elements
a, Support for Lower Paid Staff below £22000
b, Basic Award capped at 1% of paybill for those above £22000
c, Progression to continue
d, Additional flexibility to use paybill savings to make "affordable and sustainable changes to existing pay and grading structures"
e, No Compulsory Guarantee Agreement
"we recognise that there are positive differences between the pay agenda for Scottish public servants as opposed to their Westminster colleagues" said Hardy "however with a growing number of uncertainties' facing our members and the stated commitment of the Scottish Government to invest in public services, we had hoped to see a significant break in the slavish adherence to the 1% cap imposed by the Westminster Parliament"
"If the Scottish Government is genuine in it's stated aim of working with the Trade Unions to build a better Scotland then it must be much more ambitious in it's use of it's tax raising powers" he concluded
Work will now commence on turning the short Public Sector Pay Policy document into technical guidance to assist negotiators across the Government Sector in Scotland