As of today, the latest data shows that inflation is still sky-high, which means that huge food and energy bills are still putting a lot of stress on families.

Consumer prices index (CPI) inflation has gone down from 11.1% in October to 10.7% in November, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS). This is the largest drop in 16 months.

But trade unions have said that the numbers are “no comfort” for public service workers whose pay raises are still only a small part of their rising bills.

The ONS found that food prices are still going up, reaching a 45-year high of 16.4% last month. Meanwhile, power costs are still painfully high, even though the government is doing less to help.

“Ministers should stop trying to wash their hands of any responsibility for pay and start talking about pay.”

– Christina McAnea

On Thursday, the Bank of England is likely to raise interest rates from 3% to 3.5% in an effort to slow down inflation.

Frances O’Grady, the head of the TUC, said that the government should do everything it can to get pay to go up.

“But instead, ministers are keeping pay low across the public sector and refusing to talk with workers and their unions,” she said.

“This government is making things much worse when they were already bad.

“Families need a pay raise right away to stay out of trouble and stop the recession from getting worse.”

Christina McAnea, who is the general secretary of Unison, said, “This isn’t good news for public service workers whose pay raises are still a small fraction of their skyrocketing bills.”

“It’s clear that there’s no end in sight to the huge price hikes that are pushing budgets to their limits and beyond, especially during this cold snap.”

Ms. McAnea said it’s “no wonder” that thousands of workers in the NHS and other places are going on strike this month.

She said, “Ministers should stop trying to wash their hands of any responsibility for pay and start talking about pay.”

“If they don’t start talking to stop strikes, understaffing will get worse in public services, patients will have to wait longer for care, and people will suffer.”

Sharon Graham, general secretary of Unite, said that the government is “basically asking for a pay cut for the whole country.” She added, “The latest figures show again that workers face a bleak midwinter.”

Rachel Reeves, who is the shadow chancellor, said that the situation is still “very concerning.”

Senior economist at the Resolution Foundation Jack Leslie said that families are still getting poorer every month, and he warned that the cost of living crisis will get worse next year.

Info source – Morning Star Online