No change in median rise


For nine out of the last 12 months there has been no change in the overall median rise for collectively agreed settlements.


The median, sourced from LRD’s Payline database of collective agreements, has been stubbornly stuck at 2.0%. Only in the final quarter of last year was there any movement upwards.


The sectoral figures for March show some rises, with the private sector up to 2.1% and non-manual deals up to 2.0%. Industry agreements showed rises of 2.2% against February’s rise of 2.1% and the median for services was up 2.0% from 1.8%.


Inflation was 1.6% in the year to March, so workers saw the improvement in their living standards falter.


Official Average Weekly Earnings figures for total pay, including bonuses, show just a 1.8% rise for the three months to February for the whole economy, against a 2.1% rise for the three-months ending January.


In manufacturing, growth was steady at 1.6%, but services growth dipped to 1.5% from 1.9%. For the private sector as a whole, the 
increase was 1.9%, down from 2.4%.


In the public sector, including financial services, earnings growth was down to 0.9% from 1.3%; if financial services are excluded, growth was steady at 1.4%.


The three-monthly rises in regular pay, excluding bonuses, for February were: whole economy 2.2% (2.2% in January); private sector 2.5% (2.4%); public sector, including financial services 1.4% (1.5%); services 2.0% (1.9%); and manufacturing 2.0% (2.1%).

www.lrd.org.uk/index.php?pagid=18

www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/earningsandworkinghours