Public sector workers need above-inflation pay rises, says TUC chief

Paul Nowak welcomes government's crucial first step' on pay, but says more needs to be done after 14 years of wage decline

The government should award public sector workers entirely legitimate" pay restoration deals despite the tough economic backdrop to make up for more than a decade of real-terms salary cuts, the head of the Trades Union Congress has said.

Paul Nowak, the general secretary of the organising body for trade unions in England and Wales, said Rachel Reeves's decision to deliver real-terms pay rises in July was a crucial first step" in dealing with staffing pressures in frontline services.