PCS union calls on birthday boy Derek Mackay to ‘share the cake’ in pay row

Civil service staff will hand-deliver a birthday card to a Holyrood minister on Friday as part of row over pay.

Members of the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) will hand over the card to Finance Secretary Derek Mackay in Edinburgh in a bid to hasten the end of a 1% pay-cap for public-sector workers.

The card, signed by several hundred Scottish Government workers, contains the message “share a piece of the cake with your employees''.

Mr Mackay has confirmed the Scottish Government will scrap the cap from next year's pay policy but PCS argues this fails to deal with the hardship workers currently face.

PCS national officer Lynn Henderson said: “Scottish ministers have the power to end the pay cap today.

“Jam tomorrow does not pay the bills and they should do everything in their power now to make up for the years of austerity.

“We want to wish the minister a happy birthday and remind him that whilst age may just be a number, the 1% pay cap isn't. It has created real, genuine hardship for ordinary working people.'