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Public sector pay rise: police, armed forces and NCA staff among 900,000 workers set to get pay rise

Published on: 21 Jul 2020

Teachers and doctors will see the largest increase at 3.1% and 2.8% respectively, according to the Treasury.

Police, prison officers and National Crime Agency staff will be given a 2.5% rise in pay and members of the armed forces will receive a 2% uplift. Meanwhile, members of the judiciary and senior civil servants will also see their pay topped up by 2%.

But no new rise has been announced for other NHS staff including nurses, cleaners and porters. Even though, more than 300 NHS workers have died in England after caring for patients with Coronavirus and contracting it themselves.

The Government say this is because they are already in the final year of a three-year rise which expires in April 2021 and hasn't yet been renewed. More than a million nurses and hospital staff agreed to this separate pay settlement, which works out at 4.4% this year.

Council workers and job centre staff, who have been dealing with a surge in millions of universal credit claims, will also not see their pay increase. 

These rises must be funded from existing budgets - meaning cash-strapped government departments must work out how to pay for them. 

The Treasury said the money for the pay increases of up to 3.1% would come from existing departmental budgets.

The pay rises in full:

  • School teachers - 3.1%
  • Doctors & dentists - 2.8%
  • Police officers - 2.5%
  • Armed forces - 2%
  • National Crime Agency - 2.5%
  • Prison officers - 2.5%
  • Judiciary - 2%
  • Senior civil servants - 2%
  • Senior military - 2%