UNDERSTANDING PERCENTAGES ON CASH WAGE INCREASES

Motion Text

That this House is concerned with numeracy and the understanding of the effects of percentages on pay increases and notes that a higher per cent increase for higher paid staff exacerbates inequality and inflates top end pay hugely in cash terms; notes that a five per cent increase on a salary of £135,000 gives a gross cash increase in salary of £6,750 which is 27 times larger than one per cent increase on a salary of £25,000 which would only yield a £250 rise; calls on percentage increases to include concepts of fairness and closing gaps that have arisen in inequality and not to exacerbate this amongst Parliamentary Estate staff; and notes that reversing the one per cent and five per cent increases between the top end and the bottom end of the pay scales would yield a cash increase of £1,350 as a top end rise, which would still be £100 more than a five per cent increase on a £25,000 salary.