To my amazement, we were awarded a 2% rise last month (voluntary sector). Senior management have managed to pare costs to the bone to make this possible. A lot of projects have been cut massively, so there are far fewer staff, which has enabled cuts in central services.
However, this is only the 3rd rise since 2008 (the others were 1% & 1.5%). And for newer staff, the salary scales were revised in 2009, so new staff start on 10% less than those of us who've been there a long time.
I can't envisage this being possible next year. Sure as eggs are eggs, it will be the public sector and the low paid who bear the brunt of the costs of the pandemic, and the fallout will make the austerity look like a party.
I'm retiring next year, but I really fear for friends and colleagues whose jobs will be at risk again. But I fear even more for our clients, all of whom are vulnerable (incredibly vulnerable, in many cases), and how they will manage if the services are reduced further.