Chris Mason: Government's view on public sector pay has shifted

There is simply a much conciliatory temper successful the air.

The code and the tenor of what ministers and their teams are saying feels a small warmer.

But that doesn't mean each of these strikes are abruptly going to stop.

In the talks ministers person offered, the authorities is pointedly not saying thing is disconnected the table.

"We won't commencement putting limitations connected these talks," is however 1 elder fig enactment it to me.

In different words, possibly conscionable maybe, doing thing astir wage for this fiscal twelvemonth arsenic good arsenic next.

The Health Secretary for England Steve Barclay volition conscionable the Royal College of Nursing connected Wednesday and determination volition beryllium further meetings successful the coming days.

He believes determination has been "a much constructive dialogue" since Christmas, arsenic it was enactment to me, with a amended ambiance and plentifulness of meetings which person allowed for this breakthrough.

But an effort by the Department for Education to propulsion disconnected thing akin - avoiding the strikes successful parts of England and crossed Wales adjacent week - didn't work. The National Education Union has said "no" due to the fact that the connection isn't bully enough.

The discourse of what is happening present is important.

There is an ongoing treatment astir the adjacent fiscal year's wage deals, starting successful April.

The Treasury says thing supra 5% would hazard fuelling inflation. But it says 3.5% is affordable.

But the autarkic Pay Review Bodies are apt to urge much and the authorities has repeatedly enactment large store connected accepting their recommendations.

And ostentation is expected to fall.

The factors that mightiness assistance commencement to bring immoderate of these disputes towards solution whitethorn beryllium dilatory assembling.

The unions, though, constituent retired galore of their members person had existent presumption wage cuts for twelvemonth aft year.

And offers that whitethorn amount, to them, to beryllium little atrocious than they person been but inactive not large won't punctual jubilation.

So these developments mightiness magnitude to a turning point.

But it's acold from the end.