UNIONS revealed today that workers in Wales are losing out on £152 a week because pay is still below 2008 wage levels.

The Wales TUC says the longest pay squeeze in the modern era was a “damning indictment” of the Conservatives’ economic record.

In almost a third (32 per cent) of local authority areas pay packets are still worth less than in 2008, according to the WTUC analysis published today.

Wales TUC general secretary Shavanah Taj said: “Workers in Wales have endured over a decade of slow pay growth and it’s a damning indictment of the UK government’s economic record.

“Just imagine how much better off people would be if they had an extra £152 a week in their pay packets and how much more prosperous Wales would be.

“We need a proper plan to get the economy growing by investing in industry, and a New Deal so that working people get a fair share of the wealth they create.”

The WTUC argues that the UK has one of the worst records of OECD nations for pay growth since the financial crisis and said that when the Conservatives took office in 2010, a wage recovery was already underway following the financial crisis. 

A UK government spokesperson said: “A global surge in inflation caused by Putin’s war in Ukraine has hit the value of wages right across the world.

“Through supporting the Bank of England and sticking to our plan, inflation is now down to 3.2 per cent and real wages are growing. 

Responding to the British government Ms Taj said: “The data speaks for itself and the fact that, on average, real pay is only £12 more a week than in 2008 is a bleak legacy for the UK government, especially when you consider how inflation has driven up the cost of everyday essentials like food.”

The Welsh government’s economy minister Jeremy Miles speaking in the Senedd last week talked about the legacy of Britain’s withdrawal from the European Union and “the failure of the UK government’s levelling-up policies and its broken promise to replace EU funds.

“Instead, it has bypassed the Welsh government and the Senedd and has denied us vital funding to support strategic opportunities for growth,” Mr Miles said.