Policy Council should take over pay talks and in crises

Friday 23rd April 2010, 2:29PM BST.

The tribunal, from the left, Prof. Gillian Morris, David Hogg and John Lee at last year’s preliminary hearing. (Picture by Peter Frankland, 0873019)

THE Policy Council should take on responsibility for agreeing public sector pay deals, an independent Tribunal of Inquiry has said.

In its report, released today, the tribunal recommended the current setup – with the Public Sector Remuneration Committee negotiating on behalf of the States – be replaced.

‘We consider that the responsibility for pay determination should rest with the Policy Council,’ the tribunal said.

‘Ministers of the employing departments, who are accountable for service delivery, are represented on the Policy Council, together with the Treasury and Resources Department.

‘The Policy Council thus affords wider representation, and the opportunity for greater input from individual departments into pay determination, than the PSRC.’