Workers forced to borrow money to make ends meet

Four in 10 workers have been forced to borrow money from banks, payday lenders or family and friends to make ends meet during the past six months, according to a survey by the GMB general union. 


The poll of more than 2,300 workers also found that just 30% could afford necessities each month, while more than 60% said the rise in energy costs forced them to spend less on basic food items and other essentials.


Some respondents said they could not afford to have the heating on and feed their families, while others said they were eating only every other day.


GMB general secretary Gary Smith said: “We face the perfect storm of wages plummeting as prices shoot up. It’s a disaster for workers.


“People are suffering, and this government is doing nothing. The energy price surge was grimly predictable.” But, he said, instead of preparing, the government closed our biggest gas storage facility at Rough off the east coast of England.


“Instead of blaming low paid workers who ask for a pay rise, ministers must get their act together and make the important decisions that can help bring stability to prices in the future, such as on new nuclear generation and gas storage.”