THE government was condemned by a union today for its “short-sighted” announcement that only a select group of civil servants will receive a one off £1,500 cost-of-living payment.

The payment comes in addition to any pay award given for the fiscal year but will only be awarded to those covered by this year’s Civil Service pay remit guidance — non-senior Civil Service (SCS) workers at government institutions — and non SCS staff in the probation service.

It excludes operational and non-operational prison staff who are subject to a pay review body.

Prison workers union POA national chairman Mark Fairhurst said: “This government classes us as civil servants when it suits in relation to our ridiculous retirement age of 68 but fails to recognise us for the work we do in omitting us from this cost-of-living payment.

“We now have to wait to see if our pay review body will insist upon parity for all civil servants and recommend a similar payment for our remit group.”

Mr Fairhurst called it “grossly unfair” and warned that if it is not rectified, the union “will not hesitate to react in a way our membership expect.”

POA general secretary Steve Gillian has written to the pay review body to request that they take the new evidence of disparity on board as they have already made their recommendations to the government before the announcement was made.

He said: “While we come under the remit of the pay review body and not the Civil Service pay remit guidance, whenever there has been changes for civil servants, such as pension changes, recruitment freezes, pay freezes and all other terms and conditions we are included.

“However, when it comes to a one-off payment suddenly, we are excluded.”