Plans by chancellor George Osborne to pay lower salaries to public sector workers in poorer parts of the country have been condemned as "cruel" and "grotesque" by union leaders.
Civil servants could be moved to regional pay deals from as early as next month under budget proposals to be announced next week.
The chancellor will argue that public sector pay should mimic the private sector and be more reflective of local economies. He intends to start the process in three Whitehall departments in the coming financial year, as part of a phased introduction.
The Treasury regards the change as one of the most important measures it can introduce to rebalance the economy. Osborne claims the move would provide a boost to the private sector in the north and south-west, arguing that employers in these areas cannot afford to recruit staff owing to the relatively high public sector wages in cheaper areas of the country
Fine... I assume that council tax, VAT, Road Tax, Petrol Fuel Duty etc will also be reduced in these areas as will public transport costs, electricity ,gas, water and telephone costs. I also assume that the scheme will extend to MPs because after all representing a plush Southern constituency is obviously far more challenging and expensive than managing... oh hang on, do I see a flaw in these plans?
How would these plans affect the way we, (or the Dark Side) deliver our services to the local Health Economy?
