Tories woo Britain's five million public sector workers
The fallout from the election debate has dominated news coverage but the Conservative Party did launch their Invitation to Britain's five million public sector workers overnight. It is a crucial component of Team Cameron's belief that the election cannot be won if Conservatives antagonise the greatly increased number of state employees.
The 'invitation' is a subset of the main manifesto and has seven components:
- Greater freedom for professionals: Fewer inspections and targets with accountability for results, not adherence to bureaucratic processes.
- Fairer pay: Stopping the NICs rise will save workers in the NHS, teaching and the police up to £150 per year. A cap will be considered that will limit the top earners in the public sector to not more than 20 times the earnings of the lowest paid public sector worker.
- Rewards for excellence: High-achieving staff will get extra benefits, with teachers in 'free schools' able to receive much higher pay.
- An opportunity to co-operatise: Public sector workers will have the opportunity to run their school, medical centre or other public service as an innovative co-operative enterprise.
- Flexible working: Public sector workers will have new rights to request family-friendly working hours.
- Protection from unfounded litigation.
- Partnership in building the Big Society: Public sector workers will be invited to work with charities and social enterprises in bringing new approaches to old problems.
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Tim Montgomerie
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