MP's pay rises regularly lead to outrage. This is not really because they are paid too much. However, they are linked to senior public sector employees, who (like company directors and executives) tend to receive pay increases well in excess of most 'ordinary folk', and whose salaries are getting more and more ludicrous.
Linking MP's pay rises to the National Minimum Wage would remind them of their responsibility towards the the most vulnerable working citizens, instead of (as at present) tracking the most cosseted as follows:
- link MP's salaries to the National Minimum Wage, minus 1 percentage point. This does not limit the starting point for MPs' salaries, but once that point is agreed, future changes would be linked to the incomes of the most vulnerable working people: Hence an increase National Minimum Wage by < 1% = no pay rise for MPs; an increase of 2% in the National Minimum Wage = 1% for MPs.
- link both conditions and limits for expenses to those typical of Local Government Employees
- introduce performance related pay by publishing performance indicators for each MP direct to their constituents - with automatic right of recall if they do not meet published thresholds
- make redundancy pay on loss of seat the responsibility of their party, except in case of boundary changes
I have placed a similar petition on the UK Government Petitions Site.
