LONDON (MNI) - The UK government Wednesday announced a pay freeze for many public sector workers in the 2010/11 fiscal year, with minimal pay rises for others.

A raft of departmental pay announcements Wednesday revealed senior civil servants would get no pay increase in 2010/11. One group that bucked the trend was armed forces, other than senior military personnel, who will get a 2% rise.

The Department of Health announced gross rises of 0.9% for dentists and 0.8% for doctors. However, with doctors and dentists facing rising costs, government officials take the view net pay will be effectively flat. Health sector registrars will get a 1% pay rise.

Prison officers in England and Wales will get 0.7%, and 1% in Northern Ireland. The low, or non-existent, public sector pay growth is a sign of things to come. At the time of the 2009 pre-Budget Report the Treasury announced it wanted to cap total public sector pay growth at 1% in 2011/12 and 2012/13.

The opposition Conservative Party has also advocated freezes for public sector workers.