Will Cutting Public Worker Pay Make the U.K. a "Dark, Brutish, and More Frightening Place"?

Public sector workers are doing pretty well in the U.K. these days, earning more (on average) than their private sector counterparts. From the Telegraph:

The Office for National Statistics found that full-time public sector staff earned an average of £74 a week more than those in the private sector. Once employer pension contributions were included, the gap rose to £136, illustrating the generous pay-and-perks deals enjoyed by local and central government workers.

The coalition government in the U.K. is discussing layoffs, pay freezes, and pension cutbacks for public sector workers—largely because the U.K. is also Out of Money. The Trades Union Congress is not amused. At their conference in Manchester this week, the head of the labor organization warned that public sector pay cuts will make Britain a "dark, brutish and more frightening place."

Reason has been covering the compensation gap between public and private workers stateside for a while now. You can read about the disparities here, here, and here.