UK workers suffer biggest hit to their wages since records began

[Scott]

Charles Postiaux

 

London (CNN Business)UK workers have suffered the biggest drop in their spending power in more than 20 years as prices keep soaring.

Average real wages — which account for inflation — fell by 3% between April and June compared with the same period last year, according to data from the Office for National Statistics published Tuesday.

 

"The real value of pay continues to fall.

[Chomper Higgot]

The green and sunny uplands?!

[James105]

Every single one of those "workers" who sat at home getting furlough money for the best part of 2 years and producing nothing should not be overly surprised about this.

[DezLez]

The headline "Since records began" and the content " in more than 20 years" do not match!

Which is it?

[Scott]

Off-topic post removed.  

 

[thonglorjimmy]

As I understand it, wages haven't actually fallen it's just that due to inflation, they're just worth less.

 

As Harold Wilson famously said in the late 60's  it  "does not mean, of course, that the pound here in Britain, in your pocket or purse, or in your bank, has been devalued", that remark was the start of hisn downfall. 

[JonnyF]

Another negative consequence of lockdowns that were far too severe and went on far too long.

 

Many of us warned against this but were labelled irresponsible, Granny killers etc. for wanting to find a better balance between keeping people safe and keeping the economy moving. Protect the vulnerable and allow the healthy to continue with their lives, we said.  

 

Now, here we are. Reaping what was sown.  

[pegman]

It's caused by Brexit and the West's sanctions on Russia  that  are more punitive on the countries applying them than their target. The solution of the Tories and  their tabloid supporters is to hammer the unions and their members.

[baboon]

5 hours ago, James105 said:

Every single one of those "workers" who sat at home getting furlough money for the best part of 2 years and producing nothing should not be overly surprised about this.

What were they supposed to do? They were ordered to stay at home so they did. Your post implies they were lazy and feckless, which is unfair. 

Edited August 17, 2022 by baboon

[baboon]

4 hours ago, thonglorjimmy said:

As I understand it, wages haven't actually fallen it's just that due to inflation, they're just worth less.

There's a distinction without a difference. Lots of people are worse off than they used to be and that's that. Mind you, many actually voted to be worse off, but that is another story...

[Chomper Higgot]

42 minutes ago, baboon said:

What were they supposed to do? They were ordered to stay at home so they did. Your post implies they were lazy and feckless, which is unfair. 

It’s a point of view shared by the most likely future PM.

 

It goes under the heading ‘sticking it to the powerless in favour of the powerful’.

[James105]

2 hours ago, baboon said:

What were they supposed to do? They were ordered to stay at home so they did. Your post implies they were lazy and feckless, which is unfair. 

Not really.   Listening to and believing fear propaganda was a choice.   Over 70% of the public supported lockdowns and being paid to do nothing, as well as wasting 1/2 trillion pounds making big pharma et all incredibly rich.   If the opinion polls were against lockdowns then there would not have been lockdowns and a more sensible, Sweden style approach would have been adopted.   The politicians would not have been brave enough to go against public will, especially so when it became very, very clear that only a small, well defined group of people would have been at risk from severe illness.  

 

The only people who I would say do not deserve this are the sensible ones who were against lockdowns and the associated madness of healthy people being masked and isolated from other healthy people.  

[baboon]

15 minutes ago, James105 said:

Not really.   Listening to and believing fear propaganda was a choice.   Over 70% of the public supported lockdowns and being paid to do nothing, as well as wasting 1/2 trillion pounds making big pharma et all incredibly rich.   If the opinion polls were against lockdowns then there would not have been lockdowns and a more sensible, Sweden style approach would have been adopted.   The politicians would not have been brave enough to go against public will, especially so when it became very, very clear that only a small, well defined group of people would have been at risk from severe illness.  

 

The only people who I would say do not deserve this are the sensible ones who were against lockdowns and the associated madness of healthy people being masked and isolated from other healthy people.  

Ah, I see. Blaming the public for not being alt-right and casting the government as mere hapless bystanders is your angle. Fair enough.

Edited August 17, 2022 by baboon
Grammar

[Bluespunk]

11 minutes ago, James105 said:

Not really.   Listening to and believing fear propaganda was a choice.   Over 70% of the public supported lockdowns and being paid to do nothing, as well as wasting 1/2 trillion pounds making big pharma et all incredibly rich.   If the opinion polls were against lockdowns then there would not have been lockdowns and a more sensible, Sweden style approach would have been adopted.   The politicians would not have been brave enough to go against public will, especially so when it became very, very clear that only a small, well defined group of people would have been at risk from severe illness.  

 

The only people who I would say do not deserve this are the sensible ones who were against lockdowns and the associated madness of healthy people being masked and isolated from other healthy people.  

Ah, it’s good to hear the old hits “Sweden blah blah blah”. 

[baboon]

1 minute ago, Bluespunk said:

Ah, it’s good to hear the old hits “Sweden blah blah blah”. 

Let's all hold an ABBA party like No. 10 did during lockdown....

[James105]

5 minutes ago, baboon said:

Ah, I see. Blaming the public for not being alt-right and casting the government mere hapless bystanders is your angle. Fair enough.

Good grief, you people and your labels.   It's common sense that paying people to sit at home doing nothing would have massive financial consequences.   If "alt-right" means common sensical then yes, they are to blame for not recognising the obvious repercussions.   The government could have done with a little more balance in their choice of scientific advisors with some more dissenting voices but they could not introduce lockdowns without overwhelming public support.  

[James105]

7 minutes ago, Bluespunk said:

Ah, it’s good to hear the old hits “Sweden blah blah blah”. 

Who have proven without doubt their approach was the correct one, as we can see from the financial repercussions being felt from taking the wrong one i.e locking up healthy people who were at next to zero risk from serious illness.   Of course if your goal was to put as many people into abject poverty as possible then you would of course think that Sweden took the wrong approach.   

[baboon]

2 minutes ago, James105 said:

Good grief, you people and your labels.   It's common sense that paying people to sit at home doing nothing would have massive financial consequences.   If "alt-right" means common sensical then yes, they are to blame for not recognising the obvious repercussions.   The government could have done with a little more balance in their choice of scientific advisors with some more dissenting voices but they could not introduce lockdowns without overwhelming public support.  

I will certainly agree with you that the government handled Covid abysmally. How's that for a bit of compromise?

[Bluespunk]

4 minutes ago, James105 said:

Who have proven without doubt their approach was the correct one, as we can see from the financial repercussions being felt from taking the wrong one i.e locking up healthy people who were at next to zero risk from serious illness.   Of course if your goal was to put as many people into abject poverty as possible then you would of course think that Sweden took the wrong approach.   

Ah, I’ve missed these alt right covid rants. 
 

Utter nonsense at the time and good to realise that has not changed. 

[Excel]

1 minute ago, zain4388r said:

UK workers have suffered the biggest drop in their paychecks in more than 20 years as prices keep soaring. Average real wages — which account for inflation — fell by 3% between April and June compared with the same period last year, according to data from the Office for National Statistics published Tuesday.

And couple that with the July inflation rate announced today of 10.1% it will unfortunately bring a lot of hardship to many more families.

[Kinnock]

UK needs to find a new source of cheap, foreign labour ..... ideally people who want to actually do any work this time.

[candide]

8 hours ago, JonnyF said:

Another negative consequence of lockdowns that were far too severe and went on far too long.

 

Many of us warned against this but were labelled irresponsible, Granny killers etc. for wanting to find a better balance between keeping people safe and keeping the economy moving. Protect the vulnerable and allow the healthy to continue with their lives, we said.  

 

Now, here we are. Reaping what was sown.  

So when the U.S. gets similar inflation numbers it's Biden fault, but in UK It's because of lockdowns. ????

[Chomper Higgot]

8 hours ago, JonnyF said:

Another negative consequence of lockdowns that were far too severe and went on far too long.

 

Many of us warned against this but were labelled irresponsible, Granny killers etc. for wanting to find a better balance between keeping people safe and keeping the economy moving. Protect the vulnerable and allow the healthy to continue with their lives, we said.  

 

Now, here we are. Reaping what was sown.  

Do you have any evidence at all that the lockdowns have given rise to the current levels of inflation?

[Chomper Higgot]

Well yes workers wages are taking a massive hit.

 

Not so the incomes of CEOs, perhaps they are living in an alternative economy:

 

https://www.ft.com/content/af0d30bd-f6ee-4ab4-abfe-94e58aa27b12

 

 

Edited August 17, 2022 by Chomper Higgot

[James105]

52 minutes ago, baboon said:

I will certainly agree with you that the government handled Covid abysmally. How's that for a bit of compromise?

So you disagree with the lockdown approach and paying people to sit at home doing nothing now?   Or would your approach be the labour one which was harder poverty inducing lockdowns for longer which inflict even more long term harm?

 

Thailand has now removed pretty much all lockdown measures.  All the alarmists and fear propagandists on here were predicting doom.   So what happened?  Those that salivated over the covid stats daily have been very quiet lately.  Could it be that any human measure to control something like a virus is completely pointless (as most sensible people said) and is really just about authoritarianism and control?  And what a cost these measures will have!   This is just the beginning.    Unfortunately this hubris will cost the kids of today their entire lifetimes to pay back.  

[Chomper Higgot]

3 minutes ago, James105 said:

So you disagree with the lockdown approach and paying people to sit at home doing nothing now?   Or would your approach be the labour one which was harder poverty inducing lockdowns for longer which inflict even more long term harm?

 

Thailand has now removed pretty much all lockdown measures.  All the alarmists and fear propagandists on here were predicting doom.   So what happened?  Those that salivated over the covid stats daily have been very quiet lately.  Could it be that any human measure to control something like a virus is completely pointless (as most sensible people said) and is really just about authoritarianism and control?  And what a cost these measures will have!   This is just the beginning.    Unfortunately this hubris will cost the kids of today their entire lifetimes to pay back.  

Please provide the evidence you have that the lockdowns are the cause of the current inflation in the UK economy?

[peterfranks]

6 minutes ago, Chomper Higgot said:

Please provide the evidence you have that the lockdowns are the cause of the current inflation in the UK economy?

So what would in your opinion be the reason for inflation in the UK, and every other country in the world?

[Chomper Higgot]

2 minutes ago, peterfranks said:

So what would in your opinion be the reason for inflation in the UK, and every other country in the world?

That’s not how debate works.

 

If somebody makes repeated statements linking the current inflation crisis to the lockdown it is for that person to demonstrate that the lockdown caused the inflation.

 

I have questioned the assertion that the lockdown has caused the inflation, I do not need to provide the actual causes of inflation.

 

Those claiming the lockdowns cause inflation need to back up their assertion.  
 

It will not be difficult if they have any evidence.

[Bkk Brian]

*Deleted post edited out*

 

Sweden had no lockdowns whatsoever:

 

Jul 14, 2565 BE — Swedish Inflation at New High Extends Riksbank's 'Bad Year'. June inflation at 8.5%, far above the central bank's forecast

Edited August 17, 2022 by Scott

[Chomper Higgot]

13 minutes ago, peterfranks said:

So you keep denying that the lockdowns caused inflation, but don't want to tell us the real reason.

 

Now this is just for you only.

 

Inflation is rampant in each and every country in the world, unless you gonna deny that also, and the one and only thing all those countries have in common with the UK is that they had extended periods of lockdown caused by Covid.

 

And I don't have to provide any evidence for that, as everyone, who hasn't lived under a rock for the past 2 years, will know that

Let me drive a bus through that for you.

 

1. I have not denied the lockdowns caused inflation, I have asked those who claim they have to back up their claims with evidence.

 

2. “Inflation is rampant in each and every country in the world, unless you gonna deny that also, and the one and only thing all those countries have in common with the UK is that they had extended periods of lockdown caused by Covid.”

 

Quite clearly all these nations have many other things in common, by example (you’ll like this):

 

They all rely on oil and gas to fuel their economies, transport systems, for the production of fertilizers, and to power the machinery of industry and agriculture.

 

You might have noticed the price of oil and gas has gone up recently, it’s been in the news.

 

…..

Please don’t come back telling us the lockdowns caused the hikes in the price of oil and gas.