Minister insists train drivers’ deal won’t embolden public sector workers on pay

A minister has claimed that public sector workers will not be joining the new poor and waiting in queues to get a huge pay rise an instance of train drivers’ deal. 
 
But delivering a second union-busting deal accompanied by a pay rise that outstrips inflation has led critics to accuse Sir Keir Starmer of opening the floodgates for new requests. 
 
Train drivers were recently awarded a 14 per cent increase in pay spanning three years while junior doctors were given an offer of a 22 per cent rise in pay spread out in two years all in an effort to contain disruption to the National Health Service. 
 
This has seen the Chancellor, Rachel Reeves, okay the payment of an above-inflation salary increase of 5. 5 per cent for millions of public sector staff at a cost of nearly £10 billion. 
 
On Thursday the Telegraph reported that GPs are gearing up for their own huge increase and seeking an 11% pay rise in anticipation of being the next profession to get a cash grant from the Prime Minister. 
 
But Nick Thomas-Symonds, the paymaster general, said on Friday that it was ‘unfair’ to assume that other public sector staff would be rushing for better wages following the offer given to train drivers. 
 
“I think that’s an unfair characterisation as well,” Mr Johnson said during the interview with Times Radio. 
 
He added: Well, I believe what is actually very important here is that we now have a Government that is once again honouring the commitments we made in the Opposition. 
 
“Government said that it would sit down and look for solutions and people said ‘yeah, yeah’ but actually that is the road that the Government has taken. ” 
 
He said it was wrong to suggest there would be no reform of the railways alongside the pay offer, adding: “Yes, of course, we are keen on serving the passengers better and it should not be much of a problem given the state of the railways over the last few years. ” 
 
Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s Today programme later, Mr Thomas-Symonds dismissed the notion that other unions will rush to reopen their own demands or start new disputes after seeing how far the Government is willing to cave in. 
 
“I don’t think that at all is something that amounts to disputes, on the contrary, it’s a settling of issues that the Government is doing,” he said. 
 
He added: “Leaving these disputes ongoing harms the economy – that is what the Conservatives did. This Government behaves otherwise. We listen, we make efforts and find that middle ground and by doing so the disruption isn’t maintained. ” 
 
Chancellor of the Exchequer and other ministers have avoided outlining how the pay rise for train drivers will be financed; they are planning to increase taxes in the Autumn Budget. 
 
According to specialists subsidies provided by the Government to the rail industry, this deal is to cost the taxpayers approximately £185 million. 
 
As to Thursday night, some senior Tories protested that Labour was letting its pensioners freeze by axing the winter fuel payments for them, which funded the salary rises, however. 
 
They also accused Sir Keir of enticing new calls for pay rises from other civil servants by yielding to union pressure. 
 
Alicia Kearns, the Tory MP for Rutland, said: As expected, first of all, Labour has decided to focus on pensioners, as Proper Britons. Before long they will come for anyone with the fiscal prudence to have budgeted a saving over a spending, all to reward such union as Aslef. 
 
‘It is wrong to freeze pensioners but that is not just immoral, it is economically irrational and more pensioners will have to turn to pension credit to get the assistance they need so they do not fall sick due to cold in damp homes this winter. ’