WIREDGOV

Commenting on the final report of Will Hutton's Fair Pay Review published today (Tuesday), TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber said:

'This review makes a range of challenging proposals for change in the public sector, including greater pay transparency at the top. But crucially it is also a welcome starting point to tackle the greatest unfairness - boardroom excess in the private sector.

'It has been the growing pay gap between the boardroom and ordinary staff in the private sector that has caused mounting household debt and squeezed wages over the last 30 years, not a few well remunerated chief executives in the public sector.

'Making PLCs publish pay multiples and introducing workforce representation on remuneration committees are welcome proposals that should be implemented in the budget.

'But the millions of public servants facing real terms pay cuts and pension hikes will be disappointed that the review has so little to say about low pay in the public sector.

'Our hope is that ministers use this report to take a closer look at fairness in pay across the public and private sectors. Failure to do this could turn it into a fruitless exercise in public sector bashing.'

NOTES TO EDITORS:

- All TUC press releases can be found at www.tuc.org.uk

- The TUC March for the Alternative is taking place in central London on Saturday 26 March. The march will form up from 11am on the Victoria Embankment between Waterloo and Blackfriars bridges and proceed through central London until reaching Hyde Park, where the rally will start from around 1.30pm.

- Further info about the logistics of the march and reasons why people are marching for an alternative to the cuts is available at www.marchforthealternative.org.uk

- People wanting to find out about transport to the march in their local area should visit www.falseeconomy.org.uk/themarch

- Journalists wanting to arrange interviews with TUC leaders before the march or looking for media access to the march and rally should speak to the TUC press office.

Contacts:

Media enquiries:
Liz Chinchen T: 020 7467 1248 M: 07778 158175 E: media@tuc.org.uk
Rob Holdsworth T: 020 7467 1372 M: 07717 531150 E: rholdsworth@tuc.org.uk
Elly Gibson T: 020 7467 1337 M: 07900 910624 E: egibson@tuc.org.uk