UK wages drop among worst in Europe


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Wages in the UK have seen one of the largest falls in the European Union during the economic downturn, according to official figures.

Figures from the House of Commons library show average hourly wages have fallen 5.5% since mid-2010, adjusted for inflation, which is the fourth-worst decline in the 27-nation bloc.

By contrast, German hourly wages rose by 2.7% over the same period.

Across the European Union as a whole, average wages fell 0.7%.

Only Greek, Portuguese and Dutch workers have had a steeper decline in hourly wages, the figures showed.

Other countries that have suffered during the eurozone debt crisis also fared better than the UK. Spain had a 3.3% drop over the same period and salaries in Cyprus fell by 3%.

French workers saw a 0.4% increase, while the 18 countries in the eurozone saw a 0.1% drop during that period.

 

"The economy is on the mend, but we've still got a long way to go as we move from rescue to recovery and we appreciate that times are still tough for families," a Treasury spokesperson said.

 

The GMB union said the government was "directly responsible" for the fall in wages.

 

"Employers paying low wages get taxpayer subsidies in the form of tax credits to assemble a workforce for them to make decent profit margins," it said.

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first world problems!

 

Minimum wage in Honduras, Central America, is   $290  and people are lucky to get that :/

 

Apples and Oranges mate, just saying.

 

Last i'd heard, Spain was the lowest and that was on Question Time last week (i wasn't watching it for fun, i just couldn't reach the remote), so the UK must be a new thing.

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Apples and Oranges mate, just saying.

 

Last i'd heard, Spain was the lowest and that was on Question Time last week (i wasn't watching it for fun, i just couldn't reach the remote), so the UK must be a new thing.

True... 

 

If i wanted to argue i'd say "how is  it now oranges and oranges" aren't we the same planet :shifty: :P

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True... 

 

If i wanted to argue i'd say "how is  it now oranges and oranges" aren't we the same planet :shifty: :p

 

 

Oh you! **shakes fist**

 

That's a whole new discussion to be had!

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So are employers cutting wages or starting new hires on at lower rates?

Well a lot of jobs being "created" are minimum wage part-time crap. Being minimum wage means they can't be started any lower.

 

Inflation in the UK is about 3% but a lot of people have had zero increase in wages in the past few years. This likely accounts for the real "drop". Wages are losing ground compared to costs.

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Inflation in the UK is about 3% but a lot of people have had zero increase in wages in the past few years. This likely accounts for the real "drop". Wages are losing ground compared to costs.

Zero increase in wages is the cause as far as I can see.

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