Nearly half (45%) of public sector workers said they would rather see their pay cut than their pension, according to research by recruiters Badenoch and Clark.
The research, Re-branding the state: the public sector brand in an age of cuts, stikes and reforms, which polled over 1,000 public sector workers, also found that 54% believe that their benefits were worth striking over.
It also found that 25% of senior public sector decision managers and a third (33%) of London-based public sector workers do not believe that private sector benefits packages match up to those in the public sector, while 19% of workers based in Scotland believe that public sector pay should be better than private sector remuneration.
One-third of public sector workers believe that they should be paid more than they currently are, with 40% going as far as to suggest that public sector pay should be equal with that of the private sector.
Nicola Linkleter, managing director at Badenoch and Clark, said: “The public sector remains in a state of crisis. With morale low, further cuts looming, and pension contributions set to rise exponentially, managers must continue to ensure that staff understand the future direction and opportunities within the sector.
“Employees will remain loyal to their employer so long as they perceive that their employer is committed to its workforce. This commitment must include clarity on pension reform; lack of transparency will further damage morale, and could lead to further strikes.
“Come October, a year on from Osborne’s initial Comprehensive Spending Review, it will be important to observe how, if at all, the public sector has repositioned itself, internally and externally.”
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