London 24 Aug, London : The United Kingdom’s Trades Union Congress (TUC) has demanded government action to raise the minimum wage from 15 pounds ($17.7) an hour “as as soon as is possible”.It’s the culmination of an era of significant industrial strikes as the leading unions have expressed anger over the decreases in real wages amidst a surge in inflation, according to the DPA news agency.
This week it was revealed that the Office for National Statistics (ONS) reported that workers saw their pay fall in comparison to inflation at a record-high rate during the three months from June.
Regular pay, which excludes bonuses which are not included, increased by 4.7 percent over the course of the quarter, but it was not enough to keep pace with the soaring inflation rate which topped 9.4 percent in June and increased to a new 40-year high in the month of July.
The workers at Felixstowe which is the UK’s biggest port, have been striking this week.
Delivery services for postal mail are scheduled to be disrupted because of strikes from Royal Mail workers who are members of the Communication Workers Union (CWU) and journalists from Daily Mirror will also strike on Friday.
The present minimum wage for employees aged over 23 is 9.50 pounds, with lower rates for younger workers.
The TUC has urged the government should present an “plan to improve and expand collective bargaining across the entire economy” to increase wages for workers.
Proposals also include reforms to corporate governance and an “life-long education and skill strategy” that is designed to address the issue of labour shortages.
Frances O’Grady, general secretary of the TUC she said: “Every worker should be capable of affording an adequate level of living.However, millions of low-paid workers are living wage packet to wage pile and struggle to make ends meet and are being pushed to the edge by the soaring costs of eye-watering bills and prices.
“We aren’t able to continue bouncing between crises.
Families with children need financial security, which means reverse the downward spiral of stagnant wages.
“Ministers should implement fair pay agreements in order to get productivity and pay up in low-paying industries.”
