Real regular pay (wages adjusted for prices & bonus payments) across the board was 2.8% lower in the three months to May than in the same period of 2021 - the sixth monthly decline in a row, & the biggest drop since modern records began in 2001.
The latest ONS figures show total pay growth of 7.2% in the private sector compared with just 1.5% in the public sector. Many unions are threatening strikes if the Govt holds pay rises below 5% for the current financial year, while inflation is above 9%.
Boris Johnson’s cabinet is on today (Tuesday) due to sign off on wage settlements covering 2.5 million public sector workers, in one of the most significant decisions left to be taken by his caretaker government.
Unions representing teachers, health workers & civil servants have warned of widespread disruption if ministers approve further real-terms pay cuts for the coming year.
Today's data reveals the almost fivefold disparity between private & public sector pay growth.
Patrick Roach, general secretary of the NASUWT teachers’ union, accused ministers of “contempt” for public sector workers. “If the government hopes that teachers’ anger will dissipate over the course of the summer break, they are wrong.”
The number of unfilled jobs edged up to a record of 1.294mn, although the ONS said the rate of growth in vacancies had slowed.
Growth in average weekly earnings, including bonuses, was 6.2% in the three months to May, equivalent to a real-terms pay cut of 0.9%.
Growth in regular weekly earnings of 4.3% equated to a real-terms pay cut of 2.8% — a record drop.
The tight labour market has given some workers more bargaining power, allowing them to secure bigger wage rises to go at least some way to offset the national #CostOfLivingCrisis.
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Voters need to know how right-wing populist nationalist politicians and radical/far-right nativist extremists construct their divisive discourse and rhetoric to exploit the anti-elite climate and fuel violence and division - and what to do about it.
So what can be done to counter divisive narratives and framing and to help Britain to become a more open, inclusive, fairer, less polarised and better multicultural society?
I make several suggestions in the above article, but make more below,
Countering the extreme right’s narrative of feeling "attacked" and needing to "defend" national identity requires a strategic, multi-faceted approach that challenges their framing while addressing underlying concerns and emotions.
The shameless lie that "Britain is lawless" is categorically false, as it contradicts empirical data on crime trends, rule of law metrics, and the functioning of UK institutions. Reform UK often use fearmongering exaggeration and selective framing to create a sense of crisis.
Official data from the ONS and Home Office indicate that overall crime rates in England and Wales have fluctuated but do not support the notion of a "lawless" state. The ONS reported a 7% decrease in total recorded crime (excluding fraud) from 2023 to 24.
#OnThisDay, 21 July, 1969, the Chicago Daily News published: The ‘love it or leave it’ nonsense, by Sydney J. Harris.
It began: One of the most ignorant and hateful statements that a person can make is “If you don’t like it here, why don’t you leave?”
I reproduce it, below.
Harris was born in London in 1917, moving to the US in 1922. A formidable journalist who established a distinct voice integrating incisive social commentary with wit and humour, his weekday column, ‘Strictly Personal’, was syndicated in 200 US newspapers.
The ‘love it or leave it’ nonsense, by Sydney J. Harris.
One of the most ignorant and hateful statements that a person can make is “If you don’t like it here, why don’t you leave?”
That attitude is the main reason America was founded, in all its hope and energy and goodness.
A few thoughts on Bob Vylan leading the #GlastonburyFestival crowd in chants of "Death to the IDF" (Israeli Defence Force), livestreamed by the @BBC, and the mischaracterisation of the chant by some MPs, news media, and activists.
In England, where #GlastonburyFestival is located, all of us have the right to freely express our criticism of anyone or anything - as long as there is no intent to provoke immediate unlawful violence or there is a reasonable likelihood it will occur as a consequence.
In England, free speech is protected under Article 10 of the Human Rights Act 1998. However, inciting violence is a criminal offence under several laws which attempt to balance public safety with free expression rights.
In many countries, especially since Musk bought Twitter/@X, underregulated online extreme content has been used to groom and radicalise vulnerable people.
Too many cowardly politicians are scared to speak up for fear of being branded 'anti-free speech'.
Some MPs who have been in parliament for many years NEVER appear on any of the @BBC's "flagship" politics shows - but Reform's privately educated shit-stirring 'anti-elite' former Tory Sarah Pochin - an MP for FIVE WEEKS - gets her own special introduction on #PoliticsLive.
Politicians using dangerously irresponsible anti-Muslim rhetoric know their comments are normalising Islamophobia and endanger British Muslim women. Islamophobic incidents rose by 375% in the week after Boris Johnson called veiled Muslim women “letterboxes” in 2018.
#PolitcsLive
Britain prides itself in NOT being the sort of country that tells women how to dress. States that do dictate women’s clothing (eg Iran, Sudan, Saudi Arabia) are vilified as misogynistic & ultra-controlling: the antithesis of the enlightened, liberal west. theguardian.com/commentisfree/…