GMB on Regional Pay
Tuesday 10th January 2012
THE PROPOSAL TO MOVE TO REGIONAL PAY
FOR PUBLIC SECTOR WORKERS IS JUST SHORT CHANGING REGIONAL ECONOMIES
SAYS GMB
Living standards have already dropped
by between 9.1 % and 2.3% in different regions since the general
election and these proposals will make things worse for the
ordinary working people as issue is discussed in
Commons
GMB commented on the debate in the House of
Commons that took place today (10th Jan) on government
proposals to introduce regional pay for public sector workers
sponsored by Jonathan Edwards Plaid Cymru MP.
Paul Kenny, GMB General Secretary said,
“The proposal to move to regional pay for public sector
workers is just short changing regional economies. Cutting workers’
pay will not create a single job in any region and will lead to
further falls in demands for goods and services in regions facing
the pay cuts implied in this proposal .
Living standards have already dropped
by between 9.1 % and 2.3% in different regions (see figures in
notes to editors below) since the general election and these
proposals will make things worse for the ordinary working
people.
It is a couldn’t care less attitude
from a couldn’t care less government. Two thirds of the economy is
consumer driven and Osborne must be the only person who does not
get it. Squeezing wages, pay freezes and cutting jobs will not
restart the economy. Using the IMF measures his cuts will reduce
real private consumption by 4% and GDP by 3.4% over the next few
years.”
End
Contact: Kamaljeet Jandu, GMB
National Equality Officer on 0 7956 237178 or Brian Strutton, GMB
National Secretary for Public Services on 07860 606137 or Martin
Smith, GMB National Officer on 07974 251722 or GMB Press Office:
Steve Pryle on 07921 289880 or Rose Conroy on 07974 251823.
Notes to editors
Fall in living standards for full time workers
by region april 2007 to november 2011
| |
|
Mean gross annual
(£) - full-time
|
|
|
| |
|
2007
£
|
2011
£
|
Change
£
|
Drop in real value
of earnings from April 2007 to November 2011*
%
|
| |
United Kingdom
|
30,015
|
32,837
|
2,822
|
-5.9
|
| |
England
|
30,852
|
33,661
|
2,809
|
-6.2
|
|
rank
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1
|
North West
|
27,179
|
28,848
|
1,669
|
-9.1
|
|
2
|
South West
|
27,570
|
29,564
|
1,994
|
-8.0
|
|
3
|
West Midlands
|
26,703
|
28,743
|
2,040
|
-7.6
|
|
4
|
East
|
32,134
|
34,691
|
2,557
|
-7.3
|
|
5
|
Yorkshire and The Humber
|
26,368
|
28,527
|
2,159
|
-7.1
|
|
6
|
East Midlands
|
27,308
|
29,565
|
2,257
|
-7.0
|
|
7
|
Wales
|
25,184
|
27,346
|
2,162
|
-6.7
|
|
8
|
London
|
42,226
|
46,284
|
4,058
|
-5.7
|
|
9
|
South East
|
34,514
|
37,904
|
3,390
|
-5.5
|
|
10
|
Northern Ireland
|
24,694
|
27,334
|
2,640
|
-4.6
|
|
11
|
Scotland
|
27,114
|
30,140
|
3,026
|
-4.1
|
|
12
|
North East
|
24,278
|
27,433
|
3,155
|
-2.3
|
Notes on above figures:
1
2007-2011 Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings - residence
based Source: Table 7.7a, Annual Survey of Hours and
Earnings, Office for National Statistics. Crown Copyright
Reserved
2
In the analysis GMB looks at the figure for annual average gross
earnings of full time workers in each region/area from official
ASHE data for April 2007 from ONS before the recession kicked in.
This figure is compared with the figure for annual average gross
earnings for the same region/area from ASHE for April 2011.
The changes shown in annual average earnings between these two
periods, plus an uprating for wage increases to September 2011, are
measured against inflation over the same period to calculate the
real change in the value of these earnings.
3
Between April 2007 and November 2011 inflation has been 16.1%, of
which half (7.65%) has taken place since April 2010.