The children of public sector workers are being driven into poverty.

An analysis carried out by the Trades Union Congress (TUC) has shown that 150,000 children with one or more parent working in the public sector are living in poverty.

The analysis is based on real wages having fallen since 2010 by 13.3% for health and education workers, and by 14.3% for people working in public administration. It includes changes to tax and welfare introduced by the coalition government and the roll out of Universal Credit.

A household is considered to be in poverty if its income is less than 60% of the national median.

The analysis shows that families where both parents work in the public sector are the biggest losers, with their income dropping by an average £83 a week, households where one parent is a public-sector worker lose out by an average £53 a week.
(Source: TUC)

Experiencing poverty during childhood can have long lasting effects with educational attainment at GCSE for children receiving free school meals being 28% lower than that of their more advantaged contemporaries. It also impacts on their physical and mental health.

Holding back public sector pay has, the analysis says, reduced household’s spending power in England alone by £8.5 billion, the cost to wider society of child poverty is estimated at £29 billion a year.
(Source: TUC/Child Poverty Action Group)

In a press statement TUC, general secretary Frances O'Grady said pay restrictions and cuts to in-work benefits were ‘causing needless hardship' for public sector workers.

Adding that public- sector workers ‘shouldn’t have to worry about feeding or clothing their kids, but many are struggling to afford even the basics'.

Welfare Weekly quotes shadow minister for employment Margaret Greenwood responding to the TUC analysis, saying the rise in child poverty was a ‘direct consequence’ of the failure of the government to deal with ‘the rising cost of living, stagnating wages' and its ‘slashing of social security support for families’.

Frances O'Grady concluded her statement by saying that ‘ministers must give public sector workers the pay rise they have earned', adding that if this doesn’t happen ‘more families will fall into poverty'.