Ministers must boost investment in public services in tomorrow’s Budget

• New ONS figures show real wages are down by 3.5% and public sector pay has fallen by 5.1%

Commenting on today’s (Tuesday) ONS labour market figures, which show real wage growth fell by 3.5%, and public sector pay plummeted by 5.1%, TUC General Secretary Paul Nowak said:

“Britain’s real wage slump continues.

“Working people can’t take much more of this. Families are being forced to choose between heating their homes and putting food on the table.

“It is no surprise that workers are having to take strike action to defend their living standards.

“Ministers should be focused on resolving all of the current public sector pay disputes.

“That means using tomorrow’s budget to boost public service investment – including staff pay.

“This would help ease the staffing crisis and lay the foundations for a stronger economy in the years ahead.

“And the Chancellor must protect families across the board by cancelling the imminent hike in energy bills. The Energy Price Guarantee must not be raised beyond the current £2,500.”