'Gap' in public and private pay

Workers in private firms received a median pay rise of 2.6% in recent months, while those in the public sector received no increase, revealing a "clear gap" between the two groups of employees, a new study showed.

An analysis of 57 settlements covering 1.8 million workers, by Incomes Data Services (IDS), revealed that the biggest increases were in manufacturing and production firms, at 3%.