WIREDGOV

Commenting on today’s (Tuesday) ONS labour market figures, which show that real weekly wages are down £19 per week over the past year, TUC General Secretary Paul Nowak said:

“Workers have lost more than £1,000 from their pay over the last year. But there’s still no end in sight for the longest wages slump in modern history. 

“Real wages remain below where they were in 2008, and the already 15-year pay squeeze is set to last another three years, until 2026. 

“It is little surprise that workers are having to take strike action to defend their living standards. They have been pushed to breaking point. 

“Ministers must focus on resolving all of the current pay disputes. 

“And they must act now to put money in people’s pockets – starting with giving our public sector workers a real pay rise, boosting the minimum wage to £15 per hour, and ending their attack on the right to strike for better pay and conditions in the Strikes Bill.” 

Zero-hours contracts 

Commenting on the number of people on zero-hours contracts – now 1.13 million, up from 1.02 million this time last year – Paul Nowak added: 

“Zero-hours contracts don’t belong in modern Britain. They should be banned along with other outdated and exploitative working practices like fire and rehire. 

“The Conservatives promised to make Britain the best country in the world to work in. 

“Instead, they have presided over a huge explosion in insecure jobs and are now attacking a host of other workers’ rights – including the right to strike.”

Editors note

• Labour market figures: The ONS figures are available at: https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/employmentandemployeetypes/bulletins/uklabourmarket/may2023
• Pay analysis based on the most recent labour market statistics published by the ONS, available: https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/employmentandemployeetypes/datasets/summaryoflabourmarketstatistics
• Real pay figures are calculated using CPI.