Shadow chancellor Ed Balls has warned public sector workers he would make no promise to reverse the freeze on their pay before the end of this parliament.
He blamed Chancellor George Osborne's "mistakes" with the economy for making such pay restraint necessary.
But he said Labour would not make commitments on public spending unless they were "responsible and credible".
Mr Balls angered unions by effectively accepting the public sector pay freeze up to 2015, the year of the planned next election.
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| Ed Balls-Labour's economic plan must be credible |
But he said: "I can't just promise to people that I can just wave a magic wand and be able to spend more and tax less.
"I cannot make commitments now for three years' time. I won't do that, it wouldn't be credible."
Speaking to BBC Radio 4's Today programme, Mr Balls said voters faced a choice between higher public sector pay or tackling rising unemployment.
"George Osborne clearly hoped he would be able to have tax cuts later in the parliament and rising public pay. It's not going to happen because of his failures," he said.
"People might expect me to come along and say 'well of course we will back higher pay'.
"It's a question of priorities. I can't say to private and public workers or to the country that Labour would put higher pay above jobs when unemployment is so high. We've got to be honest with people about the choices they face."
©Press Association
©Press Association
