This year’s pay rise for Home Office civil servants includes “significant rises for all staff”, the civil service’s biggest union has said.
The Home Office pay award includes pay rises of of up to 9.1%, according to details published by the PCS union.
The new government set a 5% rise for civil servants in its pay-remit guidance issued at the end of July, with individual departments then responsible for translating that into a settlement for staff and negotiating with unions over how the funds are distributed.
PCS had asked the government to set out a 10% remit plus pay restoration to make up for years of real-terms pay decreases, and said the 5% rise does not meet the demands its members deserve.
The union said it had sought a bigger rise for administrative assistants and administrative officers. However, it said the feedback it received from members about the Home Office offer “was either positive or very positive towards the overall offer”.
“There are significant rises for all staff, with everyone receiving over 6% consolidated rises except for those at the top of the G7 pay scale who still receive over 5%,” the PCS news release said.
Under the offer, all administrative assistants will receive a consolidated payment of £1,620, equating to a rise of between 6.2% (London) and 7.3% (national), and all administrative officers will receive an increase of £1,950, equating to a rise of between 6.8% (London) and 7.9% (national).
PCS also noted “significant movement” for executive officers working outside London who are on the bottom or low end of pay scales. They will receive rises of:
- Executive officers: 7.6%
- Higher executive officers: 9.1%
- Senior executive officers: 8%
- G7: 7.3%
- G6: 7.3%
The increase in percentages will differ based on location because the London pay differential is now standardised at £4,000 more than the national rate. The pay differential for staff based at Gatwick Airport is £1,000 more than the national rate.
Officials who remain on legacy specialist-grade bands are not subject to the consolidated rises and will instead receive 5% non-consolidated payments.
PCS said the Home Office has indicated the award will be implemented in November’s pay round and be backdated to 1 July 2024.