But Ms Maskell, the Labour MP for York Central, says she will refuse to accept her pay rise.
She said it is wrong of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA) to insist that MPs should receive a 10% salary hike.
Ms Maskell argues MPs already get paid more than enough and it is immoral that they should receive more.
As a Unite union official Ms Maskell represented workers in the NHS and say that they received a real terms cut of at least 15% since 2010, “many of whom were not on great wages in the first place”.
The government has restrained the pay the Pay Review Bodies (PRBs) were allowed to award, and last year refused to even pay the PRBs recommendation of just 1%.
‘Fight the principle’
Ms Maskell said:
Some say that they are planning to donate the additional money to charities, but first I believe that we should first fight the principle and ensure that that we don’t get the money.
MPs are public servants as are our classroom assistants, nurses and colleagues in the benefits offices; our pay increase should not exceed other public sector workers
Ms Maskell is also refusing to take any of the additional accommodation allowances for living in London when working in Westminster during the week, believing that MPs get a very good wage and should only claim reimbursement for expenditure made on things like travel.
She pledged to “only travel second class on the train or whatever is the cheapest way”.
That sees her distancing herself from her predecessor Hugh Bayley.
In the MPs’ expenses scandal, it was revealed that Mr Bayley first claimed his flat in London was his second home and claimed £1,177 monthly mortgage interest. Later, he claimed York as his second home, “flipping” the mortgage payments.