Commenting on Tuesday’s labour market figures published by the ONS, which show real wages falling by 4.1 per cent (on CPI measure) as the cost of living crisis intensifies, TUC General Secretary Frances O’Grady said: “Everyone who works deserves financial security.
“But with the Bank of England predicting the worst decline in real pay for 100 years, energy bills soaring and a recession on the horizon, millions of working families are worried they won’t be able to keep their heads above water this winter.
“We need action from ministers now. They should cancel the increase to the energy price cap. And they must do far more to get pay rising – starting with boosting the minimum wage this autumn and giving public sector workers a decent pay rise.”
Zero-hours contracts
Commenting on the latest data on zero-hours contracts also published by the ONS yesterday, which show more than one million people are employed on these terms, Frances added: ““The government promised a high skill, high wage economy.
“But too many workers are stuck on insecure contracts that give them and their families no security. As the cost of living crisis escalates, the case for banning hated zero-hours contracts is stronger than ever.”
The ONS figures are available at:
Latest figures published this morning show INFLATION rose to 10.1% in July.