Martin Priaulx, Professor R Lewis and Peter Budwin at the industrial tribunal held for the workers pay dispute. The tribunal started at St Pierre Park Hotel yesterday. (Picture by Peter Frankland, 0635643)

THE Public Sector Remuneration Committee shocked union representatives yesterday when they revealed more details of its pay offer for the first time.

It has been locked in talks with Unite over manual workers’ pay since the beginning of the year.

However, it was only during an industrial disputes tribunal that it announced it wanted to offer tradesmen a bigger rise than other sectors in order to help recruitment.

Unite has been claiming a September RPI of 4.9%, plus 3% rise across the board. Until now, it had believed that the States negotiating body had been offering 3%.

But the committee’s chief negotiator, Stephen Naftel, said its offer was in fact a general increase of 3% plus a further 2% for those in pay bands F and G – some 77 full-time equivalent posts out of 800.