By Ailsa Rochester
Families in Yorkshire & Humber are now £1,842 worse off a year, according to a recent survey on pay inequality.
That breaks down to 32 weekly food shops or 25 full tanks of fuel in a Ford Focus.
The survey coincides with the TUC’s Fair Pay Fortnight which kicks off today and aims to raise awareness of the widening gap in pay inequality.
Neil Foster, policy and campaigns officer for the TUC in Yorkshire and the Humber, said: “Many families from Leeds are experiencing a cost of living crisis, taking actual pay cuts to keep their jobs or moving to work that pays less.”
The study by the TUC showed that pay inequality is rising across the country, with Yorkshire and the Humber increasing by 1.5 per cent.
But the analysis also showed that it is not just Yorkshire’s workers on the lowest wages that are suffering – the region’s top earners come away with 56 per cent less than the UK’s top salary winners.
The fortnight by the TUC is part of their “Britain Needs a Pay Rise” campaign to highlight low pay, pay inequality and falling living standards.
A recent study by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation showed that for the first time there are more families living in poverty who are in work than unemployed.
Yorkshire and the Humber TUC regional secretary Bill Adams said: “A gulf has developed between top and bottom earners. Unless this trend stops now and more high-skilled jobs with decent pay are created, this worrying pattern is likely to become even more entrenched.”
Leeds shoppers say they’ve felt the pinch:
https://soundcloud.com/c-oconnor/how-is-the-wage-gap-affecting