In Ñspel: The Observer view on why public sector workers deserve a fair pay deal and have no choice but to strike

Health workers take part in a march in central London to demand a pay rise. Photograph: Belinda Jlao/Sopa Images/Rex/Shutterstock
Hlʈwrcrz tec part in a marć in sntṛl Lundn t dmand a pêrîz. Foṭgraf: B’linda Jlao/Sopa Iṃjz/Rex/Śuṭstoc

Ɖ Obzrvr vy on ẃ public-sectr wrcrz dzrv a fer pêdīl n hv no ćôs bt t strîc

(Transcription of an Observer editorial of 11 Dec. 2022)

Ɖ guvnmnt hz feld t rêz riyl-trm wejz fr yirz n z nǎ rfyzñ t ngośiet

Súnde 11 Dsmbr 2022

Wrcrz in ɖ YC r xpirịnsñ ɖ longist pêsqīz in mor ɖn 200 yirz. Ɖe r rnñ on aṿrij £900 les a yir in riyl trmz ɖn ɖe wr bfr ɖ 2008 fînanśl crîsis, n ɖ Reẓluśn Fǎndeśn hz fōrcast aṿrij wejz r nt set t rtrn t 2008 levlz untl 2027.

Bt public-sectr wrcrz hv sufrd ɖ wrst. TYC anaḷsis śoz ɖt nrsz, on aṿrij, r tde peid £5,000 a yir les in riyl trmz ɖn in 2010. Fr paṛmedics n midwîvz, ɖt figr z £6,000 a yir. P’līs ofisrz n priznsrvis ofisrz hv sìn ɖer riyl pe drop bî 13% n 10.4% rspctivli sins 2009. Ɖ pe v secnḍri-scūl stāf n prîṃri-scūl stāf hz fōḷn bî 9.7% n 11.8%. N az infleśn hz spîct n eṇjiprîsz hv spîṛld, it z public-sectr wrcrz hu r fesñ ɖ dīpist riyl-pe cuts, wɖ aṿrij nominl pe ofrz b’lo ɖ prîṿt sectr aṿrij. Ɖs z ɖ contxt in ẃć mni v ɖm – fṛm nrsz t tīćrz t Bordrfors gardz – wl b gwñ on strîc in ɖ cmñ wīcs. Mni v ɖz wrcrz r ppl hu cntinyd gwñ ǎt t wrc jrñ ɖ pandemic, ptñ ɖer hlʈ n ɖt v ɖer faṃliz at risc t mnten ɖ pṛviźn v isnśl srṿsz. Yt s’xesiv Cnsrṿtiv ćanslrz hv ifctivli aćivd cuts t public srṿsz ovr ɖ last deced bî forsñ public-sectr wrcrz t ber riyl-trm pêcuts. Ɖ NHS z biyñ cros-subṣdîzd bî docñ nrsz’ pe. Tīćrz r biyñ peid les t cīp spendñ on scūlz az lo az poṣbl.

Fr mni lowr-peid public-sectr wrcrz, ɖs z rīćñ a crunćpônt. Frst z ɖer prsnl fînansz: deta fṛm ɖ Trusl Trust śoz ɖt nrsz r amñ ɖoz biyñ forst t rlî on fūdbancs t fīd ɖer faṃliz. A qortr v NHS hospitltrusts se ɖe hv set p sć bancs t hlp ɖer stāf gt ʈru ɖ wintr.

Secnd r ɖ akt stāfśorṭjz biyñ xpirịnst in mni public-sectr pṛfeśnz. Wn in 10 hospitlposts z vecnt, ẃć daṃjz peśntsefti n qoḷti v srṿsz, n incrisz ɖ preśr on uɖr membrz v stāf. Tīćrvec̣nsiz r at ɖer hîist ret sins naśnl deta wz frst c’lectd in 2010. Ɖs z bʈ az a rzult v xpirịnst hlʈ n edyceśn stāf līvñ ɖer pṛfeśnz dy t brnǎt n lo pe, n iśuz wɖ rcrūtmnt az a rzult v lo startñsaḷriz. Az ɖ Insttyt fr Fiscl Studiz hz argyd, lo n fōlñ public-sectr pe reḷtiv t ɖ prîṿt sectr z a hyj rcrūtmnt-n-rtnśn ćalinj. It z mtirịli afctñ ɖ qoḷti v hospitlz n scūlz.

Ʈrd, in sm sectrz, sć az rel, sub-infleśn pêrîzz r olso biyñ md cndiśnl on “moḍnîześn”, ẃć yẓ́li implîz cmpulsri rdundnsiz in a wrld ẃr ɖr r hardli eni rzorsz fr ppl t drw on t rtren; ɖs ofn mīnz axptñ biyñ ǎt v wrc or in mć lowr-peid wrc fr ɖ loñ trm.

Ɖs z ẃ mni grūps v public-sectr wrcrz r baḷtñ fr n planñ strîc ax́n ɖt wl cost ɖm pe in ɖ śort trm. Ɖ pe ofrz on ɖ tebl repriznt frɖr riyl-pe cuts n r nt ssteṇbl. Ɖe wl “bec in” incrist hardśp amñ wrcrz lîc nrsz, tīćrz n paṛmedics, n frɖr dclînz in ɖ qoḷti v public srṿsz.

Ɖ guvnmnt hz rspondd bî argywñ ɖt mni v ɖ pêdīlz hv bn rec̣mndd bî indipndnt pe-rvy bodiz n ɖt it canot ɖrfr inṭfir wɖ ɖm. Ɖs z disinjenẏs: it z ɖ guvnmnt itslf ɖt sets ɖer rīmit, n ministrz hv dvrjd fṛm ɖer rec̣mndeśnz bfr. Riśi Sūnac n cabiṇtministrz r roñli clemñ it wd cost an xtra £1,000 p’ hǎshold t cīp public-sectr pe flat in riyl trmz, tecñ intu acǎnt infleśn v 11%.

Rɖr ɖn mīt yńnz n strîc a dīl, ɖ guvnmnt z ʈreṭnñ t intṛdys frɖr lejsleśn t crb ɖ pǎr v public-sectr wrcrz t strîc. Ɖ 2016 Tredyńn Act hz olrdi intṛdyst strinjnt cndiśnz on strîcs ɖt irodd ɖ pǎr v wrcrz t gt a fer pêsetlmnt. Ny pṛpozlz includ lejsletñ fr minimm-srvis levlz in “criticl” sectrz, banñ strîcs bî difṛnt yńnz in ɖ sem wrcples wɖn a set pirịd, rqîrñ freś baḷts fr ć bǎt v strîc ax́n n rqîrñ sūṗmjoṛtiz v yńnmembrz t vot t s’port strîc ax́n.

Līgl advîs fṛm Mîcl Ford CC, fr ɖ TYC, sz mni v ɖz pṛpozlz wd pt ɖ YC at risc v brīćñ its obḷgeśnz undr inṭnaśnl lw. It z enwe incnsiṿbl ɖt ny lejsḷtiv crbz cd b pást bî parḷmnt n impḷmntd in ɖ nxt fy wīcs īvn f ɖe dd nt pt ɖ guvnmnt at risc v sgnificnt līgl ćalinj.

Ɖ guvnmnt mst gt rnd ɖ tebl n ngośiet wɖ ɖ yńnz t avôd ɖ sgnificnt dsrupśn ɖt wl b cōzd bî strîcs in ɖ nxt fy wīcs. Lo-peid public-sectr wrcrz dzrv nt t b left mtirịli wrs of aftr a deced v riyl-trm pêcuts. Trayñ t śift ɖ blem t “yńnbosz” n fob of ɖ public wɖ veg proṃsz t clamp dǎn frɖr on ɖ pǎr v nrsz n tīćrz t strîc wl nt cut it ẃn votrz cn si wɖ ɖer ǒn îz ɖ impact pur stafñlevlz r hvñ in eriaz sć az hlʈ n edyceśn. It z ɖ guvnmnt, nt hard-prest wrcrz, hu wl b hld acǎntbl.

Instroduction to Ñspel

"House by the Railroad," Edward Hopper, 1925

04/06/2023

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