3 Year Pay-deals in the Public Sector ?

it's not worth the paper its written on. Governments have reneged on pay deals in the past, there is nothing to stop them doing it again. They make the rules to suit themselves. The same government can change the rules whilst it is in power, a different government can certainly change the rules when it takes over after an election.

If it is so important for government departments to create a 3 year wage deal so they can plan their budgets better, then perhaps we the public should expect a 3 year deal on council tax increases, and a 3 year moratorium on other stealth taxes so that we can plan our budgets better. Perhaps also we could have a 3 year deal on public transport prices, petrol prices, food prices, rents, interests rates, ... but is this taking it too Stalinist for our New Labour government?

If the government wants to be fair about wage control (and I don't believe fairness has ever entered the mind of this government), and if wage control is going to cure our troubled economy then the government should note that a 2% increase on a £60000 MP's salary is a £1200 pay rise for the MP, whereas a 2% pay rise for many public workers on say £12000 per annum is £240. Whilst the MP's can still smile at their payrise if they themselves vote to limit it to 2%, many public sector workers will see their payrise eaten away immediately just by by council tax increases (my own council announced that it was "making savings by limiting the increase" in council tax to only 4% !!! ) and the anticipated increases of the cost of travelling to work by public transport or car.

Yes, they would be bound by it. Can you imagine the unions jumping up and down and the strikes. Still, the Public Sector is bloated anyway, something has to be done to trim it down.