LONDON - Britain's new finance minister Rachel Reeves said she will consider giving inflation-busting pay increases for almost 2 million government employees later this month to avoid crippling public sector strikes.
"I really value public service workers, in our schools, in our hospitals, in our police as well," Reeves told the BBC."There is a cost to not settling, a cost of further industrial action, and a cost in terms of the challenge we face recruiting." The estimated cost of pay rises of 5.5% for teachers and certain National Health Service staff could be about 3 billion pounds , according to the Institute for Fiscal Studies.Reeves, Britain's first female finance minister, said the government will"make sure the sums add up" if public sector workers are given above inflation pay rises.