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Millions of public sector workers including nurses, doctors and teachers have been offered pay rises of between 3.6% and 4.5%.<\/p>\n
It comes after the government accepted recommendations from pay review bodies higher than the 2.8% it previously budgeted for.<\/p>\n
Unions had threatened action if pay awards were not increased, arguing 2.8% was too low.<\/p>\n
But the Treasury has previously said rises above this will have to be funded through savings from existing budgets. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n
NHS workers on Agenda for Change contracts, covering around 1.4m staff excluding doctors, dentists and senior managers, have been offered rises of 3.6% from April.<\/p>\n
Awards of 4% have been offered to doctors and dentists, as well as teachers in England and prison staff. Members of the armed forces have been offered 4.5%.<\/p>\n
Inflation – the rate prices are increasing – has fallen in recent months, but unexpectedly rose to 3.5% in the year to April<\/a>, potentially complicating how ministers sell the deals to workers.<\/p>\n The Bank of England has previously said it expects inflation to peak at 3.7% between July and September this year, before slowly falling. <\/p>\n Labour ended long-running public sector strikes last summer by accepting recommended pay rises between 4.75% and 6% for last year.<\/p>\n Ministers argued the move was required to stop damage to the economy – but it led to Conservative accusations they had lost control of public sector pay. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n