WORKERS in the Forest of Dean have suffered an average £18 wage drop since 2008’s economic crash – the longest pay squeeze in more than 200 years.

The region’s average weekly wage of £377.30 is nearly £50 lower than the regional average of £426, according to the latest figures from the Office of National Statistics.

And although earnings have started to rise recently, average weekly pay in the Forest is still four per cent short in real terms since the economic crash in 2008 – equivalent to an £18 per week shortfall.

By contrast weekly wages across the South West region grew by £90 a week (25 per cent) in the previous decade 1997-2008.

Not since the Napoleonic era at the start of the 1800s has it taken so long for real wages to recover from a slump. And the Trades Union Congress says the impact of the pay squeeze has been real hardship for those on low pay.

Food and housing costs continue to go up, but wages have not kept pace, they say.

A TUC South West spokesperson said: “As a result, household debt has soared as families struggle to make ends meet.

“In the first quarter of 2019, unsecured household debt rose to £15,880, up £1,160 on the previous year, and higher than levels seen before the financial crash in 2008.”

South West TUC Regional Secretary Nigel Costley added: “Hard working families in the Forest of Dean will know only too well the struggle to pay the bills on poor pay.

“Young people need hope that they can strive to get decent jobs locally. We need an economy that delivers for working families.

“But pay packets are still worth less than a decade ago,” he added.

“It’s not right that household debt is rising, and that kids in this region are growing up in poverty despite having parents in work.

“The government has failed to deal with Britain’s cost of living crisis.”

The TUC is calling for:

New rights so that workers can access the protection of a union in every workplace;

New rights for workers to bargain through their unions for fair pay and conditions across industries, ending the race to the bottom;

A £10 minimum wage as soon as possible.