The main factors explaining this considerable increase are the rise in the standard rate of Value Added Tax (VAT) from 17.5% to 20% and the continued increase in the price of crude oil. With this backdrop, there are pressures towards pay disputes involving industrial action as well as pressures that might disincline workers from taking such action. Thus, pay rises are generally of the 2%-3% order meaning that there are cuts in the real value of pay as inflations marches head of these at a higher rate. But there are also many continuing examples of pay freezes where the size of the cuts in the real value of pay is much greater.
the standard rate of Value Added Tax (VAT) from 17.5% to 20% and the continued increase in the price of crude oil. With this backdrop, there are pressures towards pay disputes involving industrial action as well as pressures that might disincline workers from taking such action. Thus, pay rises are generally of the 2%-3% order meaning that there are cuts in the real value of pay as inflations marches head of these at a higher rate. But there are also many continuing examples of pay freezes whe
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