Ministers criticised as poll finds one in five workers skip meals to make ends meet
2 min read
Ministers have been criticised after a poll revealed that one in five of Britain’s workforce has been forced to skip meals in order to make ends meet.
The Trade Unions Congress (TUC) found that the number of workers missing out on food has increased by more than half in two years – from 13% in 2017 to 20% this year.
The poll of 2,700 people revealed that the same figure had pawned or sold something because they were short of money, while just short of one in five (19%) went without heating when it was cold.
Elsewhere, when asked whether they could afford an unexpected £500 bill, nearly one in three (30%) workers say they wouldn’t be able to pay – up from 24% in 2017.
Of those who could pay it, nearly a quarter (24%) admitted they would have to go into debt or sell something.
Two-fifths of those polled (41%) said that pay not keeping up with living costs is among their biggest concerns at work.
TUC General Secretary Frances O’Grady said the Government risked making workers’ living standards “much worse” if it takes the UK out of the European Union without a deal.
"Having a job should mean you can provide a decent life for your family," she said.
"But after a decade of low pay, rising insecurity and public spending cuts, millions of working people are struggling to afford even the basics.
"Any responsible Prime Minister would be urgently dealing with Britain’s cost of living crisis. But instead Boris Johnson is threatening to make things much worse by forcing through a no-deal Brexit.
"He must stop playing games with people’s livelihoods and rule out no deal once and for all. Working people need a government that will get pay rising and rebuild Britain.”
Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary, Margaret Greenwood said: "This damning evidence shows the reality of life on low pay for millions of workers who struggle to make ends meet.
"Families are being left with impossible choices of whether to pay for food, heating or rent. Instead of addressing low pay and insecure work, Boris Johnson is threatening a no deal Brexit that would have a disastrous impact on jobs and living standards."
The Treasury has been contacted for comment.
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