On the subject of the reviews body. When in the past the review bodies recommended higher pays than the government wished to pay, the government insisted either that this is not applied or if applied had to come from internal savings in the NHS and other public bodies. Often the government of the day also make it clear that they will not honour pay reviews outside set parameters. So much for independent pay reviews.
As for the pandemic and the crisis. Note that the pandemic is hitting the neoliberal capitalist societies and their acolytes the hardest. Other countries with vestiges or more overt socialism are faring much better, especially when the population feels that governments are working for them, But in the case of the greedy Tories we are some of the worst. I content that when it comes to dealing with national and international disasters there is no capitalist neoliberal solution, only a socialist one.