Public sector worker wages down thousands in 2017, finds TUC

Public sector workers’ real wages in 2017 are down thousands of pounds a year compared to 2010, the TUC has found.

Prison officers, paramedics and NHS dieticians are all down over £3,800 a year. Firefighters are down nearly £2,900, while nuclear engineers and teachers are down approximately £2,500.

Lifeguards’ real pay is £2,200 lower than 2010, while crown prosecutors’ have seen a pay fall of £4,400.

Workers across the public sector have seen their real pay fall for seven consecutive years, as the result of artificial government pay restrictions.

A post-election poll by the TUC showed that 76% of voters want to give public sector workers a pay rise - including 68% of Conservative voters.

TUC General Secretary Frances O’Grady said:

“It’s been seven long years of pay cuts for our public servants. And ministers still won’t tell us if relief is on the way.

“Recent months have shown how brave and dedicated the people in our public services are. It’s time to give all of our hardworking public servants the pay rise they’ve earned.”

ENDS

Notes to Editors:
- A full briefing on the figures is available here:  http://bit.ly/2urN2mk
- Pay loss figures compare 2010 and 2017 public sector salaries, and adjust for CPI inflation, including the OBR’s projected inflation for 2017. RPI is listed in the table below.

- Analysis of the TUC post-election poll can be read here: bit.ly/2uhOLqn
- All TUC press releases can be found at tuc.org.uk/media
- TUC Press Office on Twitter: @tucnews