Since 2010 they have been subject first to a complete pay freeze and then a 1% pay cap. This year, when the government said that, despite pay offers of more than 1% for other public sector staff, pay rises would be capped at 1%-1.5% for civil servants and those working in related areas, our members said they’d had enough and voted for strike action.

Our own research shows that the effect of the pay cap will be that by 2020, average civil service pay will have fallen in value by more than 20%. Given what our members have had to put up with, our 5% claim this year was a moderate demand.