PRESS RELEASE : New TUC leader calls for urgent meeting with Rishi Sunak to help resolve public sector disputes [January 2023]
The press release issued by the TUC on 3 January 2023.
- Paul Nowak says staffing crises in health and education will get worse unless public service staff get a fair pay deal
- Nowak is ready to “clear his diary” to find a resolution
The new General Secretary of the TUC Paul Nowak has today (Wednesday) called for an urgent meeting with the Prime Minister and a change in government direction that permits ministers to open pay negotiations with unions to resolve disputes.
In a letter to Rishi Sunak, Nowak highlights the need for urgent pay negotiations:
“Our public services are in crisis after years of underfunding and understaffing. We can’t solve these problems without a fair deal for the people on the frontline.
“Every month experienced employees are quitting, with one in three public service staff now taking steps to leave their professions or actively considering it.
“This is simply unsustainable.
“But we cannot fix the staffing crisis in our schools, hospitals and elsewhere if we do not fix the underlying causes.
“That means talking in an open and constructive way about improving public sector pay. But so far your ministers have refused to negotiate directly about pay with unions.”
Highlighting the need for the government to change approach, Nowak says:
“Unions worked closely with you during the pandemic to deliver the furlough scheme and to protect millions of jobs.
“That’s the kind of mature approach we need now.
“Unions have already made clear their willingness to sit down with the government and talk about boosting pay. But while your ministers continue to refuse point blank to discuss improving wages, there can be no resolution.
“In the NHS, for example, appropriate structures already exist to allow the immediate start of pay negotiations involving health unions, employers and ministers. This was exactly what happened in 2018, leading to the three-year wage deal.
“We want to find a resolution to the current disputes so our public service staff can get on with doing the jobs they love. And so our public services can start to improve for everyone who relies on them.”
The full letter reads:
Dear Prime Minister.
I’m writing to you today to ask for an urgent meeting.
Public sector workers don’t want to be out on strike this winter. They care passionately about their vocations and the communities they serve.
But they have been left with no choice.
Ambulance staff, physiotherapists, teachers and millions of others have seen their living standards decimated by over a decade of pay cuts and wage freezes.
And with inflation north of 10 per cent, they simply cannot afford another real-terms pay cut.
Our public services are in crisis after years of underfunding and understaffing. We can’t solve these problems without a fair deal for the people on the frontline.
Every month experienced employees are quitting, with one in three public service staff now taking steps to leave their professions or actively considering it.
This is simply unsustainable.
But we cannot fix the staffing crisis in our schools, hospitals and elsewhere if we do not fix the underlying causes.
That means talking in an open and constructive way about improving public sector pay. But so far your ministers have refused to negotiate directly about pay with unions.
Unions worked closely with you during the pandemic to deliver the furlough scheme and to protect millions of jobs.
That’s the kind of mature approach we need now.
Unions have already made clear their willingness to sit down with the government and talk about boosting pay. But while your ministers continue to refuse point blank to discuss improving wages, there can be no resolution.
In the NHS, for example, appropriate structures already exist to allow the immediate start of pay negotiations involving health unions, employers and ministers. This was exactly what happened in 2018, leading to the three-year wage deal.
We want to find a resolution to the current disputes so our public service staff can get on with doing the jobs they love. And so our public services can start to improve for everyone who relies on them.
I urge with you to meet with us as soon as possible and allow your ministers to adopt new approaches to resolving the public sector pay disputes.
Paul Nowak – TUC General Secretary
– TUC polling published in the autumn revealed that around one third of key workers in the public sector (32%) have already taken steps to leave their profession to get a job in another field or are actively considering it.
– About the TUC: The Trades Union Congress (TUC) exists to make the working world a better place for everyone. We bring together the 5.5 million working people who make up our 48 member unions. We support unions to grow and thrive, and we stand up for everyone who works for a living.
