Doesn't surprise me.
Each department sets its own pay award rather than one figure across the Service, but the expectation is that they will all be somewhere between 2 and 3% so it's all a real terms cut, the difference is how much of one.
By "get the cream" in reference to a 5% payrise, you actually mean "marginally less of a real terms paycut"?
For the record, I work in the public sector and might get 3% if I'm lucky.