Welsh Government rejects regional pay

The Welsh Government will not be adopting regional pay, permanent secretary Gill Morgan told the trade unions at a Partnership Forum (Whitley Council) meeting in January 2012.

Morgan's statement follows strong criticism of the regional pay approach from Welsh First Minister Carwyn Jones, who in November 2011 condemned it as "code for cutting pay in Wales".

The UK Government is developing plans to introduce regional pay, which is described by Chancellor George Osborne as "market-facing". The Welsh Government trade unions believe that the effect of implementing such a policy in Wales would be to hold down pay levels over a period of several years - well beyond the period covered by the public sector pay freeze, and subsequent 1% cap on pay rises.

The FDA - along with the other Welsh Government trade unions, PCS and Prospect - has welcomed the permanent secretary's rejection of regional pay.