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The TUC is today (Friday) calling on government to deliver pay rises and better conditions for the millions of key workers who are keeping the country going through the Covid-19 crisis.
  • 3.7 million key workers are paid less than £10 an hour including 7 in 10 care workers, new TUC analysis shows 

  • TUC outlines five ways the government can “really thank” frontline workers 

The TUC is today (Friday) calling on government to deliver pay rises and better conditions for the millions of key workers who are keeping the country going through the Covid-19 crisis. 

Trade unionists around the country are marking May Day – also known as International Workers’ Day – with an online #ThankAWorker action, expressing gratitude to key workers who have made a difference to them during lockdown. 

But the TUC believes that, as well as thanking workers, ministers must do more to give them the respect, recognition and pay they deserve. 

Underpaid and insecure 

New TUC analysis, published today, reveals that:  

  • Nearly 4 in 10 key workers – an estimated 3.7 million people – are paid less than £10 an hour, compared to 3 in 10 non-key workers. 

  • Women are much more likely than men to be key workers and, when they are, are much more likely to be on low pay. Of an estimated 9.8 million key workers, nearly two-thirds are women. And 2.5 million women key workers earn less than £10 an hour.  

  • In social care, 7 in 10 workers earn less than £10 an hour. 

Many key workers are also trapped in insecure work, without guaranteed hours and often missing out on basic rights like sick pay. For example, 1 in 4 workers in adult social care – one of the sectors hit hardest by the virus – are on zero-hours contracts, which mean their hours of work and pay packets can vary significantly. 

Falling public sector pay 

Additional TUC analysis published today shows that public sector workers who are on the frontline of fighting Covid-19 are still being paid less today than they were a decade ago. 

In real terms, average public sector pay is still £900 lower today than it was in 2010.  

And for many key workers in the NHS, the picture is even worse. For example in real terms (that is adjusting for inflation): 

  • Nurses and community nurses (NHS band 5) are more than £3,000 worse off today than they were in 2010. 

  • Residential care workers employed by local government are nearly £1,900 worse off. 

  • Ambulance services drivers are £1,605 worse off. 

Recognising key workers’ contribution 

In recognition of the contribution of key workers during this period, the TUC is calling on government to: 

  1. Increase the minimum wage to £10 an hour for everyone now. 

  1. Deliver fair pay rises for our public sector workers and rewards for workers across the economy that restore what they've lost through ten years of cuts and slow growth. 

  1. Ban zero-hours contracts and stamp out false self-employment 

  1. Increase sick pay to the real living wage and make sure everyone can get it from day one. 

  1. Bring outsourced workers like cleaners in the NHS back into the public sector on public sector terms and conditions. 

TUC General Secretary Frances O’Grady said:  

“Everyone who’s kept Britain going through this pandemic deserves a pay rise. 

“Frontline workers are putting their own health on the line to look after the rest of us. They’re caring for the sick and vulnerable, getting us to work, keeping our shelves stocked and our vital services running.  

“Now it’s time for ministers to give key workers a proper thank you. And that means getting money into their pockets now. 

“The government must give all key workers the pay, conditions and respect they deserve. That’s how to really thank the people who got us through this crisis.” 

ENDS 

Editors note

- Details of the TUC’s #ThankAWorker social action are available here: https://www.tuc.org.uk/MayDay2020 

- Estimates of key worker earnings are based on the government’s list of key occupations and data from the most recent Labour Force Survey (Q4, 2019). The TUC’s analysis suggests there are up to 9.8 million key workers, and that 3.7 million are paid below £10 per hour. This is based on linking four-digit occupation codes to government guidance, which is open to interpretation. 

Employees 

Number of employees earning less than £10 per hour 

% of employees earning less than £10 per hour 

All 

27,743,698 

9,361,640 

34 

Key workers 

9,839,175 

3,742,257 

38 

Non-key workers 

17,904,523 

5,619,383 

31 

  

Gender 

All employees 

Number of employees paid below £10 per hour 

Key workers 

Number of key workers paid below £10 

% of key workers paid below £10 

Key workers as % of all employees 

Male 

13,935,349 

3,823,471 

3,572,654 

1,155,611 

32 

26 

Female 

13,808,349 

5,538,169 

6,266,521 

2,586,646 

41 

45 

Total 

27,743,698 

9,361,640 

9,839,175 

3,742,257 

38 

35 

Regions 

All employees 

Number of employees earning less than £10 per hour 

Key workers 

Number of key workers paid below £10 

% of key workers paid below £10 

Key workers as % of all employees 

North East 

1,053,188 

472,463 

386,595 

182,050 

47 

37 

North West 

3,068,221 

1,140,943 

1,145,114 

465,995 

41 

37 

Yorkshire and Humberside 

2,196,641 

875,896 

834,481 

372,782 

45 

38 

East Midlands 

2,045,904 

792,088 

749,432 

302,969 

40 

37 

West Midlands 

2,434,228 

967,515 

871,257 

363,878 

42 

36 

East of England 

2,619,757 

838,026 

892,433 

312,245 

35 

34 

London 

3,807,241 

823,063 

1,133,458 

329,437 

29 

30 

South East 

3,867,041 

1,135,727 

1,284,188 

498,548 

39 

33 

South West 

2,327,124 

852,448 

868,782 

329,693 

38 

37 

Wales 

1,270,830 

456,354 

510,506 

187,281 

37 

40 

Scotland 

2,324,819 

718,269 

856,468 

294,033 

34 

37 

Northern Ireland 

728,704 

288,848 

306,461 

103,346 

34 

42 

Total 

27,743,698 

9,361,640 

9,839,175 

3,742,257 

38 

35 

- The Adult Social Care Workforce Data Set, published by Skills for Care, shows that 24 per cent of workers in adult social care sector are employed on zero-hours contracts: https://www.skillsforcare.org.uk/adult-social-care-workforce-data/Workforce-intelligence/publications/national-information/The-state-of-the-adult-social-care-sector-and-workforce-in-England.aspx 

- Public sector pay data compares 2010 and 2019 pay and are adjusted for inflation using CPI. The pay figures are for individual occupations at the top of the relevant pay scale (NHS agenda for change, NJC pay scale for local government and ONS Public sector average weekly earnings). 

Average public sector pay  

  

  

Pay 

Pay in 2019 prices (CPI)  

2010  

£24,090 

£29,048 

2019  

£28,157 

£28,157 

2010-19 Real terms pay loss 

-£891 

NHS Band 5 (Nurse, community nurse) (3) 

  

Pay 

Pay in 2019 prices (CPI)  

2010  

£27,534 

£33,201 

2019 

£30,112 

£30,112 

2010-19 Real terms pay loss 

-£3,089 

NHS band 3 (ambulance services driver higher level) (3) 

  

Pay 

Pay in 2019 prices (CPI)  

2010  

£18,577 

£22,400 

2019  

£20,795 

£20,795 

2010-19 Real terms pay loss 

-£1,605 

Local government qualified residential care worker  

  

Pay 

Pay in 2019 prices (CPI)  

2010  

£19,126 

£23,062 

2019  

£21,166 

£21,166 

2010-19 Real terms pay loss 

-£1,896 

- The Trades Union Congress (TUC) exists to make the working world a better place for everyone. We bring together more than 5.5 million working people who make up our 48 member unions. We support unions to grow and thrive, and we stand up for everyone who works for a living. 

Contacts: 

Niamh Ní Mhaoileoin   
nnimhaoileoin@tuc.org.uk    
020 7467 1288   
07771 713574  

  

TUC press office  
media@tuc.org.uk   
020 7467 1248  

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