The civil service’s biggest union has rejected the Department for Transport’s detailed plans for implementing officials’ 2023-24 pay award and accused departmental leaders of failing to engage over the offer.
Like most other departments, DfT was tasked with producing an offer that complied with the Cabinet Office’s pay remit guidance permitting average pay awards of up to 4.5% and an extra 0.5% for the lowest paid staff.
PCS said DfT’s pay award “ranges from 3% to 6% dependent on grade” and “fails to ensure that all employees receive a minimum 4.5% consolidated increase”.
The union added that under the DfT pay offer, administrative assistants were set to receive a mean award lower than that proposed for staff at other grades.
“This is unacceptable and does not demonstrate a commitment to address endemic low pay for the very lowest paid in the department and its agencies,” it said.
The union said DfT had also failed to carry out an Equality Impact Assessment on the offer or address its concerns in relation to a non-consolidated payment for staff on the pay maxima for their role.
“Despite the repeated claims from the employer’s representatives that the offer reflects the best that can be secured via negotiations, we believe that more could be offered,” the union said.
PCS said it had written to the DfT’s head of reward rejecting the 2023-24 offer and said it would now hold meetings with members to discuss its next steps.
Earlier this month PCS rejected the Department for Work and Pensions’ detailed pay offer for 2023-24 on the grounds the package “does not meet our aspirations or address the inequalities of DWP’s pay system”.
The union is currently carrying out a consultative ballot of members in response to the improved 2023-24 pay offer for rank-and-file civil servants, which added a non-consolidated cost of living payment of £1,500 and other sweeteners to the 4.5%-5% uplift proposed in April.
It is seeking views on pausing strike action where departments and agencies have made – or have committed to making – the cost-of-living payment.
CSW sought a response from DfT. It had not provided one at the time of publication.