The TUC General Secretary Frances O’Grady launched a poster campaign in several North East constituencies on 1st June calling on all parties to “give Britain a pay rise”.
Press release from the TUC:
Workers in the North East are over £400 a year worse off in real terms than they were before the financial crash, according to new TUC analysis.
The analysis shows that real wages in the region are 2% lower, on average, than they were in 2008.
The TUC says that things could get worse, with the Bank of England warning that real earnings will fall for the rest of 2017.
The TUC says the rise in precarious work – such as zero-hours contracts – is helping drive the fall in living standards.
Two out of three (67%) jobs created in the North East since 2011 have been in insecure work. The TUC estimates that 124,000 people now work in insecure jobs in the region – up from 84,000 in 2011. That represents 1 in 9 workers in the North East.
TUC General Secretary Frances’ O’Grady said: “Workers in the North East are over £400 a year worse off than before the crash.
“This region badly needs a pay rise. It’s nearly ten years since the financial crisis, and working people are still suffering. Politicians have to explain to voters how they’ll create decent jobs that people can actually live on.
“And there needs to be recognition of the damage pay restrictions in the public sector are having. Hard-working nurses shouldn’t have to use food banks to get by.
Weekly real wages in the North East, 2008-2016
| Region | Real wages 2008 | Real wages 2016 | Weekly fall in £ | Annual fall in £ |
| North East | 411.84 | 403.80 | 8.04 | 419.00 |
Source: ONS, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings. Wages are adjusted by CPI, and in 2016 prices.
Employment growth in the North East, 2011-2016
| Region | Total employment growth | Insecure employment growth | Secure employment growth | Proportion of employment growth that is insecure |
| North East | 59,788 | 39,816 | 19,972 | 67% |
Source: ONS’ Labour Force Survey
For more information see: the TUC blog
The campaign’s ‘ad van’ visited Hartlepool, Middlesbrough and Redcar.
UCU Hartlepool College Branch Secretary Jo Potts being interviewed by the media
UCU’s BDO Sarah Parry and Hartlepool College Branch Secretary Jo Potts taking part in the TUC’s online photo campaign
TUC General Secretary, Frances O’Grady with UCU’s Jack Kirtley and Neil Stockton
UCU’s Stockton Riverside College Jack Kirtley and Neil Stockton taking part in the new TUC pay rise photo campaign
Photographs courtesy of @The_TUC
