Unions divided over Tory pay deals, as Starmer resists ‘wading into’ debate

Good morning. The public sector pay offers set out by the government yesterday have been met with a mixed reaction from union leaders. Education Secretary Gillian Keegan had a very good day, releasing a joint statement with Rishi Sunak and representatives of four teaching unions which stated that the offer of a 6.5% pay rise for staff in England “will allow teachers and school leaders to call off strike action and resume normal relations with government”. The government has also promised other reforms to reduce workload.

Notably, Labour leader Keir Starmer has said he would not “wade into” the pay offer debate and that offers are “subject to negotiation”, according to the BBC. You can’t imagine that went down well at the Unite conference he was speaking at, and it’ll be interesting to see how long it’ll be before the media force Labour to button up those wading boots and get in that hot water.

Teaching unions will now recommend members accept. Staff may think it’s not good enough given a long-term pay squeeze – as we saw with the Royal College of Nursing earlier this year. Just this week, NASUWT members also voted for strikes, a significant result after an earlier ballot failed to reach the threshold required for action – indicating the strength of feeling within the sector. But the tone of the joint statement was quite positive, on the surface at least suggesting higher pay won’t mean budget cuts elsewhere, with the offer apparently “properly funded”.

But the BMA – whose junior doctor members are currently undertaking their longest walkout yet, while consultants are due to strike next week – condemned the offer, accusing ministers of having “missed a huge opportunity to put a credible proposal on the table”. BMA chair of council Phil Banfield argued the proposed 6.5% uplift and £1,250 one-off payment for junior doctors and 6% rise for hospital consultants – “still fails tens of thousands of frontline staff and is unlikely to do much to help retain a beleaguered, burnt out, undervalued workforce”.

Worse still for the Prime Minister, Banfield said it was “highly likely” other groups of doctors will also “consider their next steps”. He urged Sunak “not to become the roadblock to a deal” by not entering talks, stressing doctors remain ready to negotiate. But the government quickly poured cold water on the idea of more talks. Questions also remain about funding, with NHS Confederation chief executive and former Labour adviser Matthew Taylor raising concerns they could force spending cuts.

Elsewhere, the Police Federation described a 7% pay increase as a “step in the right direction”, but emphasised the uplift “fails to take account of the real-term cut of 17% officers have suffered since 2000”. The Prison Officers Association declared its members “have received a below inflation pay rise no matter how it is dressed up”. But the FDA welcomed the pay offer made to senior civil servants as “both fair and reasonable”.

On the site this morning, we cover the news that no Labour members have seen appeals succeed so far against expulsion for supporting rival parties or banned groups since the party launched an appeal process in 2021 – according to the latest report from national executive committee member Ann Black. She expressed concern about the “100% rejection rate” and claimed “unease” about the party’s approach “extends beyond the usual suspects”. Momentum national coordinating group member Martin Abrams argued the revelations were “deeply worrying”, but pro-Starmer NEC member Luke Akehurst defended processes as “robust”.

Previously, there wasn’t a right of appeal against exclusion, and LabourList understands around a quarter of cases brought to exclusion panels in the past six months did not result in exclusion in the first place. The question is – does a 100% rejection rate prove initial expulsion decisions are being made correctly, whatever you make of the rules themselves, or – as Momentum have argued – provide more evidence of a “McCarthyite purge of the left”?

This is an online version of LabourList’s daily newsletter, which hits the inboxes of more than 35,000 Labour members, MPs, councillors, staff and others interested in reading the most comprehensive, independent briefing in town on Labour news, analysis and debate.