The group executive committee (GEC) of the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) has rejected the latest pay offer for HMRC workers, labelling it “unacceptable”.
The offer ranges from 4.26% to 6.27% depending on grade and point on pay range. The union said the offer falls “significantly below” its national demands of a 10% increase to address the current cost-of-living crisis.
In April 2023, more than 19,000 HMRC staff were given an uplift in salary to meet the requirements of the legal minimum wage. This resulted in administrative assistants (AA) and administrative officers (AO) being paid the same.
HMRC has set out an ambition to have a 5% differential between the AA and AO grades rather than a merged spot rate. However, PCS said it could see “no realistic prospect” of the ambition being fulfilled without extra funding.
“Current projections indicate that there will be a further significant increase to the legal minimum in April 2024, meaning any differential is likely to be wiped out again next year,” a spokesperson for the union said.
Despite the stance of the PCS, HMRC said it will be implementing the pay award, which is expected to reach pay packets in October and will be backdated to 1 June.
An HMRC spokesperson said: “We’ve had extensive negotiations with relevant trade unions. However, after being unable to reach an agreement with PCS, HMRC is implementing the offer.”
The spokesperson added: “This deal recognises the hard work and vital importance of HMRC staff and is in line with the cross-government pay remit set out in April.”
PCS said the GEC will engage with the union’s national executive committee to plan the next steps of its campaign.
