Anne Main MP has reiterated her support for hard-working public servants.
'I am extremely sympathetic and supportive of our excellent and hard-working public servants. I absolutely do not, however, want to see extremely well-paid chief executives and directors in public institutions get paid more when the lower-paid front-line staff should be our priority.'
Last week's amendment on public sector pay, called on 'the Government to end the public sector pay cap' which would have included those earning six-figure sums in the public sector, and, according to the Institute for Fiscal Studies, have cost the exchequer over £9bn per year.
'The Labour amendment would have seen public sector pay increases for all public servants - those at the top often earn more than double the prime minister. Governments have to look at the best possible ways to manage the finances and continue to strive for fairness across all sectors. We still have a deficit bigger than our entire schools budget and this would have cost the public purse over £9bn per year by 2021-22. That's not the way to help those in the front line, and it's certainly not the way a responsible government should look after taxpayers' money.
'I have been encouraged by what the government is saying and it's clear they are listening to hard-pressed public servants. It's important that we consider carefully what the pay sector review bodies recommend. They consider public sector pay in the round: how it compares to the private sector, how it affects retention and, importantly, how valued and motivated the staff feel. The pay review bodies will be looking at this in the coming months, and I will be keeping a close eye on their recommendations.'
Watch: Anne Main, chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Bangladesh, talks about the Rohingya crisis and urges support for @DECappeal pic.twitter.com/FFL0lq8O0A
— DFID (@DFID_UK) October 12, 2017