Public Sector: Collective Bargaining
The question
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make it her policy to replace the public sector pay review bodies with collective bargaining.
Answered by Darren Jones
The PRB process is the established mechanism for determining pay uplifts for many workforces in the public sector. It has operated for over four decades, provides independent advice and is a neutral process in which all parties play a role – and which unions campaigned to establish in the first place.
The Chancellor is committed to this process but recognises that confidence in the process has fallen in recent years. The Government is committed to restoring this confidence
That is why the Government took the decision to launch the 2025/26 pay round in September 2024 - three months earlier than last year. This will mean public sector workers get their pay awards closer to the start of the financial year, putting us on track to restore the process to its proper timetable by 2026/27.
Verbatim has judged this answer against the question that was actually asked — answered, partly answered, or evaded. Sign in to see the verdict →