Sandy - I agree that 80k isn't too shabby but the relative point is:
2011 - 0% pay rise versus inflation rise of 4% (RPI/CPI)
2012 - 0% pay rise versus inflation rise of 4% (RPI/CPI)
2013 - 1% pay rise versus inflation rise of 4% (RPI/CPI)
2014 - 1% pay rise versus inflation rise of 4% (RPI/CPI)
in addition to a loss of £1-3k per annum from Child Benefit allowance.
Therefore, I suspect the majority of public sector employees feel significantly worse off than compared to 5 years ago, regardless of the fact that gross pay has gone up a little bit over that same period.
That's not me being political by the way - just stating the facts.