Not quite what they had in mind?

Oh the irony!  For decades now the Civil Service unions have been agitating for regional pay - there has always been a London allowance to reflect the fact that London prices tend to be higher than elsewhere and the unions have consistently argued that a similar arrangement should apply to Birmingham, Liverpool, Manchester and the other large cities.  So now the Government are proposing regional pay, but on the basis that public sector pay in certain parts of the country is significantly higher than that in the private sector, and should be frozen until such time as the private sector catches up.  The moral seems to be - be careful what you ask for!