Government should not be fighting working people taking action to defend their wages, says TUC

Commenting on today’s (Wednesday) inflation figures, which show CPI inflation up to 9.1 per cent, TUC General Secretary Frances O’Grady said:

“With inflation rising twice as fast as average pay, we need a government that will stand up for working people. But instead, we have ministers spoiling for a fight with workers who take action to defend their living standards.

“Let’s be clear, inflation is not being driven by nurses and care workers wanting enough pay to keep food on the table without visiting a foodbank. And if the government does not do more to protect wages and spending, we are at growing risk of a recession that will devastate families and businesses.

“The government must defend wages with decent pay rises in the public sector and fair pay agreements in the private sector. And we need a long-term plan to make the UK more resilient, including a revival in UK manufacturing. This would protect us from future global shocks pushing up inflation.”