The public sector could face a ‘mass exodus’ of key workers unless ‘decent pay rises’ are delivered, says Frances O’Grady.

Almost two million workers in the public sector could be close to quitting their jobs over pay, the Trade Union Congress (TUC) has warned.

‘Pay misery’

The trade union body says the workers, whose efforts helped get the nation through the worse of the pandemic, are facing more ‘pay misery’ by the government as the cost of living escalates. Successive Conservative governments have held wages down for more than a decade, says the TUC.

Frances O’Grady, who is standing down as TUC general secretary at the end of the year, warns that many public sector workers are “now at breaking point because of a toxic mix of low pay, unsustainable workloads and a serious lack of recognition.”

“After years of brutal pay cuts, nurses, teachers, refuse workers and millions of other public servants have seen their living standards decimated – and now face more pay misery.

“It is little wonder morale is through the floor and many key workers are considering leaving their jobs for good,” said O’Grady.

Pointing to YouGov research which found one in three of 1,400 public sector employees surveyed had either already taken steps to quit their job or were thinking of doing so, the TUC suggests it equates to 1.8 million workers across the UK potentially quitting their jobs.

NHS workers ballot on whether to take strike action

The warnings come as around 350,000 NHS workers have started voting on whether to strike over real terms pay cuts. The members of Unison are being asked if they want to take industrial action. A flat pay increase of £1,400 offered by the government in July was slammed as being ‘nowhere near enough.’

Staff at universities in the UK recently voted for strike action over pay, conditions and pensions. After turnout among members of the University and College Union (UCU) exceeded the 50 percent voting threshold and over eight in 10 voted yes to strike action, more than 70,000 staff at 150 university could now strike.

The historic results were described by the UCU as a “stunning victory.” The union is calling on vice-chancellors to urgently get round the negotiating table to improve their offers if campus disruption is to be avoided either this year or early in 2023.

UCL security staff to walk out over pay

Additionally, security staff at the University College London (UCL), one of the UK’s most prestigious universities, are to walk out over pay. The workers are employed by the contractor Bidvest Noonan and are demanding that their hourly rate is increased. According to the Independent Workers’ Union of Great Britain (IWGB), which represents the workers, the pay increase would see the security guards paid the same nominal amounts that UCL guards got more than 20 years ago – before the jobs were outsourced.

Henry Chango Lopez, general secretary of the IWGB, said: “Amid a cost of living crisis, security staff face another year of real-terms cuts to their incomes and many are struggling to make ends meet. UCL must pay its staff a dignified salary [and] recognise the IWGB.”

Gabrielle Pickard-Whitehead is a contributing editor to Left Foot Forward

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