-
New official
statistics show record high for the number of people in poverty
in working
households
-
‘Levelling up pay
will put fuel in the tank for a faster recovery’, says
TUC
Commenting on the latest Household
Below Average Income (HBAI) data published today (Thursday),
which shows that 57% (8.3 million people) of those living in
poverty are in working families, TUC General Secretary
Frances O’Grady
said:
“Hard work should pay off for
everyone, no matter who you are or the job you do. But millions
of Britain’s workers are denied a fair share of the wealth they
create.
“The Prime Minister keeps talking
about levelling up – let’s see it for the low paid. Get the
minimum wage up to £10 an hour without delay. And give key
workers the pay rise they
earned.
“This isn’t just about doing the
right thing for workers. High streets and business won’t recover
if people have nothing to spend. Pay growth is fuel in the tank.
It will drive our recovery much faster, supporting business
growth and job creation.”
Notes to
editors:
- Changes needed to end working
poverty: The TUC is calling on the government
to:
-
Increase the minimum wage to at least
£10 an hour
-
Make sure all key workers get a decent
pay rise
-
Make permanent the £20 per week
increase in universal credit (and legacy
benefits)
-
Raise statutory sick pay to £330 per
week (to match the level of the real Living Wage) and extend to
the two million low-paid workers currently
excluded
-
Protect the freedom of all working
people to have a union in their workplace negotiating fair
pay
- Poverty in working
households: Households are in poverty if they fall below
60% of median household income after housing
costs.
- Today’s figures show that in 2019/20
there were 8.3 million people in working households living below
the poverty line (adults, children and over-65s
combined).
- The full data release from the Office
for National Statistics on Households below average income
1994/95 to 2019/20 can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/households-below-average-income-for-financial-years-ending-1995-to-2020
