If I glance over my shoulder I can see a small hill out of the window. That hill is quite significant, as the stream that runs alongside it is the border between England and Wales. It is true to say that the two places are very different, in identity, culture and outlook, though from here, there doesn’t appear to be too much difference.
Many people cross this particular border every day, particularly to work. A lot of public sector workers are happy to live in an area where they don’t work – indeed if you are a nurse, teacher or involved in several other professions, it can often be a bonus to not live alongside the people you interact with every day. NHS professionals can save themselves all sorts of embarrassing situations by ensuring they don’t bump into their patients at their local shop. All this, though, may well be about to change.
Over the last few days, a suggestion has been floated that public sector workers should be paid according to local economic factors rather than to national pay scales. This is yet another attempt by an increasingly snide and nasty Government to denigrate public services. The idea that two people doing exactly the same job, with the same stresses and same professional requirements should be paid differently just because they live in different areas is a sinister attempt to change a complete community culture. I happen to think that society values the work that our public sector workers put in, a view which I think I share with the majority of people. Clearly the Government in general, and George Osborne in particular, has a lower opinion of us.
The justifications for this move have been quite staggering in their hypocrisy. One excuse was that it would allow wages to be lowered in poorer areas, thus giving the private sector the ability to compete for the best people. Now I might not have been listening properly, but I’m pretty sure that Cameron and co have spent the last two years telling us that we have to pay bankers the top rate or we would lose the best people to other countries. Apparently it’s different when it comes to the best youth workers, police officers and care workers. If we want to attract those people to work in different areas, we apparently have to pay them less. Apparently some in the private sector complain that they cannot attract the best people. I would have thought raising the salaries they pay might help that particular quandary. If they cannot afford that, they need to cut their cloth accordingly. If they cannot afford to pay for the jobs they need doing, then a long hard look at their business model may be in order.
It has also been pointed out that Labour supported a regional cap on Housing Benefit. This, some Conservatives have argued, shows that support for regional caps would be easy to obtain. This, however, highlights the Tories feelings about public servants - they seem to think that working in the public sector is akin to claiming benefits. Perhaps they will reflect on that the next time they are rushed to A&E.
Regionalising pay will not produce winners, only losers. There will be a ‘brain drain’ from poorer areas. After all, why should someone at the top of their profession bother working in areas like Hartlepool or Bury when they can earn far more in Hertfordshire or Buckinghamshire. And what of those I referred to earlier that live in one place and work in another? What of public servants who live in Cheshire and work in Stoke? At a stroke, they will see their disposable income sliced away. They will no longer be able to afford to live an area different to the one they work in. The only option would be to move to the ‘cheaper’ area, ghettoising the public sector almost overnight.
We are constantly told that we need a ‘level’ playing field in business, something I’m all in favour of. Tipping the scales in this manner creates anything but. It is an unwarranted attack on many people who give their all for other people. George Osborne should hang his head in shame.
liamstubbslabour@hotmail.co.uk
Twitter - @LiamStubbs
Facebook: Liam Stubbs Labour
Many people cross this particular border every day, particularly to work. A lot of public sector workers are happy to live in an area where they don’t work – indeed if you are a nurse, teacher or involved in several other professions, it can often be a bonus to not live alongside the people you interact with every day. NHS professionals can save themselves all sorts of embarrassing situations by ensuring they don’t bump into their patients at their local shop. All this, though, may well be about to change.
Over the last few days, a suggestion has been floated that public sector workers should be paid according to local economic factors rather than to national pay scales. This is yet another attempt by an increasingly snide and nasty Government to denigrate public services. The idea that two people doing exactly the same job, with the same stresses and same professional requirements should be paid differently just because they live in different areas is a sinister attempt to change a complete community culture. I happen to think that society values the work that our public sector workers put in, a view which I think I share with the majority of people. Clearly the Government in general, and George Osborne in particular, has a lower opinion of us.
The justifications for this move have been quite staggering in their hypocrisy. One excuse was that it would allow wages to be lowered in poorer areas, thus giving the private sector the ability to compete for the best people. Now I might not have been listening properly, but I’m pretty sure that Cameron and co have spent the last two years telling us that we have to pay bankers the top rate or we would lose the best people to other countries. Apparently it’s different when it comes to the best youth workers, police officers and care workers. If we want to attract those people to work in different areas, we apparently have to pay them less. Apparently some in the private sector complain that they cannot attract the best people. I would have thought raising the salaries they pay might help that particular quandary. If they cannot afford that, they need to cut their cloth accordingly. If they cannot afford to pay for the jobs they need doing, then a long hard look at their business model may be in order.
It has also been pointed out that Labour supported a regional cap on Housing Benefit. This, some Conservatives have argued, shows that support for regional caps would be easy to obtain. This, however, highlights the Tories feelings about public servants - they seem to think that working in the public sector is akin to claiming benefits. Perhaps they will reflect on that the next time they are rushed to A&E.
Regionalising pay will not produce winners, only losers. There will be a ‘brain drain’ from poorer areas. After all, why should someone at the top of their profession bother working in areas like Hartlepool or Bury when they can earn far more in Hertfordshire or Buckinghamshire. And what of those I referred to earlier that live in one place and work in another? What of public servants who live in Cheshire and work in Stoke? At a stroke, they will see their disposable income sliced away. They will no longer be able to afford to live an area different to the one they work in. The only option would be to move to the ‘cheaper’ area, ghettoising the public sector almost overnight.
We are constantly told that we need a ‘level’ playing field in business, something I’m all in favour of. Tipping the scales in this manner creates anything but. It is an unwarranted attack on many people who give their all for other people. George Osborne should hang his head in shame.
liamstubbslabour@hotmail.co.uk
Twitter - @LiamStubbs
Facebook: Liam Stubbs Labour
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