Tories give civil servants £30m vouchers from Argos to Primark - but no proper pay rise

Use of 'rewards and recognition' vouchers for public servants has increased as Tories stubbornly refuse to negotiate appropriate pay rise for staff, despite soaring inflation
Most Whitehall employees received their rewards in the form of Edenred vouchers, which can be spent at outlets such as Primark (
Image: In pictures via Getty Images)

Tory ministers are accused of 'double standards' after refusing to give millions of workers a pay rise but then giving them £30m in vouchers.

Sixteen departments gave civil servants £29.57million in 'rewards and recognition' vouchers in 2021/22, Labor research shows.

Most Whitehall employees received their rewards in the form of Edenred vouchers and gift cards, which can be spent at various outlets.

Participants include Argos, Asda, Greggs, Iceland, John Lewis, M&S, Nando's, Pizza Hut, Primark, TK Maxx, WH Smith and Wilko.

Yet at the same time, 5.7 million public sector workers are getting a pay rise below inflation, which is equivalent to a reduction in real terms.

There were a third more coupons than in 2020-21 and two-thirds more than in 2018-19.

Rishi Sunak is trying his hand at the hospitality industry as part of his Eat Out to Help Out program (
Picture:
internet unknown)
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said he was "sad" and "disappointed" at the widespread strike over wages, including by nurses.

But he insists that refusing to negotiate is the "right thing" in the long run, to avoid further wage increases.

Shadow Cabinet Minister Florence Eshalomi said, “No one would dispute that hard-working public servants deserve recognition for their efforts, especially those who have gone the extra mile during the pandemic.
>
"But again, what we see in these numbers is a Conservative government guilty of double standards.

"At the same time as ministers refuse to even discuss the subject of pay with our nation's nurses, we are now finding that they circumvented their own pay freeze last year by handing out a record number of good non-monetary to Wh.. .

Politics Dec 30, 2022 0 63 Add to Reading List

Tories give civil servants £30m vouchers from Argos to Primark - but no proper pay rise

Use of 'rewards and recognition' vouchers for public servants has increased as Tories stubbornly refuse to negotiate appropriate pay rise for staff, despite soaring inflation

Most Whitehall employees received their rewards in the form of Edenred vouchers, which can be spent at outlets such as Primark (

Image: In pictures via Getty Images)

Tory ministers are accused of 'double standards' after refusing to give millions of workers a pay rise but then giving them £30m in vouchers.

Sixteen departments gave civil servants £29.57million in 'rewards and recognition' vouchers in 2021/22, Labor research shows.

Most Whitehall employees received their rewards in the form of Edenred vouchers and gift cards, which can be spent at various outlets.

Participants include Argos, Asda, Greggs, Iceland, John Lewis, M&S, Nando's, Pizza Hut, Primark, TK Maxx, WH Smith and Wilko.

Yet at the same time, 5.7 million public sector workers are getting a pay rise below inflation, which is equivalent to a reduction in real terms.

There were a third more coupons than in 2020-21 and two-thirds more than in 2018-19.

Rishi Sunak tries his hand at the hospitality industry as part of his Eat Out to Help Out program

Rishi Sunak is trying his hand at the hospitality industry as part of his Eat Out to Help Out program (

Picture:

internet unknown)

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said he was "sad" and "disappointed" at the widespread strike over wages, including by nurses.

But he insists that refusing to negotiate is the "right thing" in the long run, to avoid further wage increases.

Shadow Cabinet Minister Florence Eshalomi said, “No one would dispute that hard-working public servants deserve recognition for their efforts, especially those who have gone the extra mile during the pandemic.

"But again, what we see in these numbers is a Conservative government guilty of double standards.

"At the same time as ministers refuse to even discuss the subject of pay with our nation's nurses, we are now finding that they circumvented their own pay freeze last year by handing out a record number of good non-monetary to Wh.. .