Pay awards at twice the rate of inflation have been offered to NHS staff to boost recruitment and to encourage staff to stay in the health service and give better value for money for the expensive training they receive. In addition to a flat rate increase of 3.6% for hospital doctors, nurses, dentists and other health service workers, there are additional increases to ease particular shortages and to support policy initiatives.The new pay scales will take consultants up to 68,000 pounds with those at the top of the scale earning up to 133,000 pounds. Nurses’ pay will move up to 20,000 pounds.

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The Police Federation, representing 125,000 rank and file officers, is seeking the support of opposition parties and the public to a campaign to halt proposals by Home Secretary David Blunkett for reform of the 43 police forces in England and Wales. The Federation argues that the proposals would result in cuts in overtime pay, sick pay and allowances and lower the standards of policing by recruiting civilians to carry out work now done by police officers.The reform plans call for the police to work more flexibly and they include the prospect of special bonuses to reward priority staff, including beat officers, and one-off payments for particularly unpleasant work. The Police Federation claims that the reforms will result in the average officer being worse off financially. There is particular concern that because overtime would only be paid after an officer has worked 42 hours in a week, payments overall would be cut.

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