Industrial Workers of the World One Big Union

The government's plan to impose a 2% cap on public sector pay rises, coupled with their proposals to have three-year pay deals in the public sector has led to outrage among workers and unions. Teachers have been particularly vocal, with the NUT taking an unusually strong line against these measures. Even the highly conservative Police Federation has come out against the plans, which would see their pay rise by only 1.9%.

Essentially, with inflation running at around 4%, this 2% pay rise amounts to a 2% pay cut. In order to quell and divide a rising tide of angry public sector workers, the government has announced plans for teachers to receive a 2.45% pay rise, blatantly in order to undermine the chance of collective industrial action across the public sector. The offer remains below the NUT's demands, but considerably above other public sector pay offers.

This cynical and deliberate action by the government is a deliberate ploy to appease teachers' unions and divide public sector workers. It is important now that teachers remain strong and think about their fellow workers elsewhere in the public sector. The IWW will be active in trying to cement ties within the divided public sector workforce, and is pushing a hard line against these divide and rule measures. Divided we beg, united we win.