Workers still £14 a week worse off than a decade ago, says TUC
Commenting on today’s (Tuesday) labour market statistics from the Office for National Statistics, which show wages rising above inflation for the first time in 12 months, TUC General Secretary Frances O’Grady said:
“Unions have won pay rises for workers across the UK, from the counters at McDonald’s to the factory floor at Ford.
“But wage growth is still weak. Workers are £14 a week worse off than they were in 2007 – with pay packets not expected to return to their pre-crisis level until 2025.
“This is why tens of thousands of people will march through London on Saturday 12 May as part of the TUC’s ‘A New Deal for Working People’ demonstration.
“The government must get the economy working again for working people. Ministers need to increase the minimum wage to £10 an hour, fund a proper pay rise for all public servants, and give workers stronger rights to negotiate fair pay deals.”
- For more information on A New Deal For Working People visit: www.tuc.org.uk/new-deal-working-people-tuc-march-and-rally
- Real wages are not forecast to return to their pre-crisis level until 2025: www.resolutionfoundation.org/media/blog/2018-risks-being-a-standstill-year-on-pay/
- The TUC is calling on the government to improve pay and increase the supply of well-paid work by:
- Increasing the minimum wage to £10 as quickly as possible.
- Giving all public-sector workers a fully funded proper pay rise, after years of pay cuts.
- Raising public investment to the OECD average of 3.5% of GDP, so that the UK has the infrastructure needed to attract business and create well-paid jobs.
- Establishing a National Investment Bank, with a remit to target communities where good quality and well-paid jobs are most needed.
- Strengthening collective bargaining rights for workers and setting up new bodies to negotiate pay in sectors where low pay is endemic, such as hospitality, agricultural labour and care work.
- 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 49 member unions. We support unions to grow and thrive, and we stand up for everyone who works for a living.
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