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New official figures published today (Wednesday) by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show that the real value of weekly earnings fell by 1.6 per cent over the last year.

TUC General Secretary Frances O’Grady said: “Ordinary households are not sharing in the recovery and the recession in their wages continues despite the economy’s return to growth. The gains of growth are going to a few people at the top, with ordinary workers being shut out of the recovery.

“The government is making history for the longest fall in real earnings since records began – a time when Queen Victoria was on the throne. Britain needs a pay rise to end the decline in living standards and to put the spending money in people’s pockets that will keep businesses growing.”

NOTES TO EDITORS:

- The full Annual Survey of Household Earnings, 2014 (provisional results) published today by the Office for National Statistics can be found at http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/ashe/annual-survey-of-hours-and-earnings/2014-provisional-results/index.html

- TUC analysis of Bank of England data, published in October 2014, demonstrated that the UK is experiencing the longest decline in real earnings since Victorian times http://www.tuc.org.uk/economic-issues/labour-market-and-economic-reports/economic-analysis/britain-needs-pay-rise/uk 

- All TUC press releases can be found at www.tuc.org.uk
- Follow the TUC on Twitter: @tucnews

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