UK workers will suffer from lost wage growth for 20 years, says TUC boss

British workers are likely to suffer two decades of lost wage growth, the leader of Britain’s labor movement will say on Tuesday, while warning the government not to attack the right to strike.

Frances O’Grady, speaking at the annual meeting of the Trade Unions Congress in Brighton, will accuse the Conservatives of monitoring the “longest squeeze on real wages since Napoleon’s time”, with living standards likely not to return to 2008 levels by 2028 given current trends will reach .

Based on official data and the latest Bank of England forecasts for inflation and wage growth, the union organization has calculated that the average worker has lost a total of £24,000 in real terms since 2008 as wage growth has lagged inflation and is expected to see a loss of 1.2 Billion euros yielding a further £4,000 over the next three years.

“Under the Conservatives, working people have gotten poorer while shareholders have gotten richer. . . If ministers and employers continue to push through wage packages at the same rate, UK workers are likely to suffer two decades – 20 years – of lost living standards,” O’Grady will say in her final speech to the TUC Congress before stepping down as general secretary at the end of the year.

Her address to union members comes against a backdrop of deteriorating industrial relations across the UK, with strikes already disrupting rail networks, ports and postal services and threats of major walkouts in many parts of the public sector.

Unison, the UK’s largest union, has warned the biggest strike action by NHS workers since the early 1980s could hit health services this winter as it prepares to elect more than 400,000 members across the country. Voting is already underway for unions representing nurses.

The National Education Union will begin voting for sixth-form college members this week and has announced dates for separate elections for school teachers and support staff.

Meanwhile, transport union RMT has confirmed it will urge rail workers to support industrial action for another six months with no sign of a breakthrough in its row with Network Rail and rail operators.

O’Grady will tell Congress that this wave of discontent reflects the fact that workers have been “driven to the breaking point,” while stressing that the Conservative Party cannot be trusted to lead the economy.

Unions have taken little comfort from new Chancellor Jeremy Hunt’s move to reverse parts of the ‘mini’ budget to restore confidence in Britain’s fiscal position, given his signal that fresh public spending cuts and an overhaul are on the way of energy support for households will be in place from April next year.

O’Grady will also warn that unions will fight any attempt by ministers to restrict the right to strike.

One measure in the government’s “mini” budget that has not yet been scrapped is the promise of a law requiring unions to submit wage offers to a members’ vote, along with an obligation for transport companies to maintain a minimum level of service during industrial disputes.

The TUC has already taken legal action to challenge rules passed over the summer that allow agency workers to fill in for striking workers.

O’Grady will describe the crackdown as “a cynical attempt to distract from the mess the government has created,” saying, “If ministers cross the street to argue with us, we will meet them.” . . See you in court.”