TUC counts cost of austerity on public sector pay

http://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/jul/09/tuc-public-sector-workers-worse-off-austerity

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Public sector workers are £2,245 worse off as a result of the coalition's austerity policies, according to the Trades Union Congress.

NHS staff, teachers, firefighters and local government workers are among those that have lost out following pay freezes and limited pay rises since the government took office, the TUC said.

The figures, which show the average fall in real terms pay suffered by workers since May 2010, were published a day before a wave of strikes among UK public sector workers over pay, pensions and working conditions. Government policies on public sector pay have had a big impact on the spending power of almost six million UK households, according to the TUC.

Among those taking part in the day-long protest across the UK on Thursday will be home helps, refuse collectors, teachers, firefighters, civil servants and transport workers.

TUC general secretary Frances O'Grady said: "The economy may be picking up, but having paid the price in pay freezes and below inflation pay increases for several years there is to be no financial let up for town hall employees and other public sector workers. For them there are no shares to be had in the UK's economic recovery. Instead several more years of penny-pinching and frugal living lie ahead.

"In local government – and right across the public sector – workers believe that ministers neither care about nor understand the pressures on their already stretched household budgets. Meanwhile the government seems happy for the public purse to miss out on billions through income tax cuts for the wealthy and corporation tax reductions for big businesses, yet says there's no money to give a decent pay rise to struggling care assistants, nursery workers, dinner ladies and other local authority employees."