Wages down by £500 in East Midlands, according to latest TUC figures

Average pay in the East Midlands fell by over £500 in real terms last year, according to new analysis published by the TUC today to mark the beginning of Fair Pay Fortnight which runs from the 16 February to March 1.

This means that the average full-time employee wage in the East Midlands has fallen in real terms by £2,652 since 2010 – £51 a week.

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The TUC says that UK workers have endured the longest real wage squeeze since records began in the 1850s and that even with inflation falling sharply in recent months at current rates of progress it will still take years for wages to recover to their pre-recession levels.

While average pay for workers in the East Midlands fell by 9.6 per cent in real terms between 2010 and 2014, pay for FTSE 100 bosses shot up by 26 per cent over the same period, says the TUC.

FTSE 100 chief executives saw their pay increase, on average, by £700,000 in real terms between 2010 and 2014.

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The average wage for a FTSE 100 CEO in 2014 was £3,334,000 – 133 times the average annual wage in the East Midlands.

The TUC estimates that it took a FTSE 100 CEO just two working days, on average, to earn what most full-time workers in the region earn in a year.

The TUC is organising Fair Pay Fortnight to raise awareness about pay inequality and to campaign for a higher minimum wage, greater extension of the living wage and higher pay settlements in the public and private sector.

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A number of events and activities have been planned across the East Midlands during the Fortnight.

These include a ‘Fair Share for Social Care’ debate in Nottingham on February 24th and a street stall in Swadlincote, Derbyshire on February 21st.

TUC Midlands Regional Secretary Lee Barron: “Despite growth returning, 2014 was another miserable year for living standards in the East Midlands with real wages falling by over £500 in real terms.

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“Even though inflation has fallen sharply in recent months, it is still going to take years for people’s earnings just to recover to their pre-recession levels.

“It is different story though for those at the top. Senior City executives have seen a huge boost in their fortunes since the election as their wages have skyrocketed.

“This is why we are organising Fair Pay Fortnight, to raise awareness about pay inequality and to call for a sustainable recovery in which everybody shares.”

WHAT DO YOU THINK? Have you had a pay rise in the last 12 months? Do you feel better off?

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