Christmas Day workers’ pay 'lower than decade ago'

The TUC looked at the most-worked jobs on 25 December, and tracked their wages over the last ten years. All except kitchen staff have seen their real wages fall since 2007.

• Doctors’ real wages are down over £1,000 a month.
• Prison and police officers are down over £400.
• Clergy are down over £300.
• Security guards and nurses are down over £100.

(See table below.)

Christmas workers in low-paid jobs – such as cleaners, carers, waiting staff, and farm workers – have also seen their wages sink.

In 2014, the ONS estimated over a million people work on the day – 3.3% of all employees.

TUC general secretary Frances O’Grady said: “Seasonal goodwill is clearly in short supply on pay day.

“While many of us are tucking in to the turkey, the UK’s Christmas workforce will be hard at work keeping vital services running. But their wages are worth even less than they were a decade ago.

“2018 should be the year that the government finally get wages rising across the UK. They can start by ditching their Scrooge-like pay restrictions on our public service workers, and by raising the minimum wage.”