The TUC said 220,000 children – 28.4% – with at least one social care worker parent were in poverty and said the number was set to rise to almost 300,000 by the end of this parliament unless action was taken to improve of wages and conditions in the industry. Looking more broadly, the TUC said one in five working-class households, or 19%, have children living in poverty, with poverty particularly prevalent in families where the parents are nurses and public transport workers. Analysis by Landman Economics shows that 50,000 children (25%) with parents who work in public transport grow up in poverty, and more than 100,000 children (10.8%) with teaching staff parents live in poverty. TUC general secretary Frances O’Grady said the government had abandoned key workers and called for a general election. “Our amazing core workers risked their lives to get us through the pandemic. The least they deserve is to be able to provide for their families. But many have been trapped in poverty and abandoned by this government,” O’Grady said. “The Conservative decision to keep wages low – as the cost of living soars – is causing unmanageable hardship. We cannot be a country where bankers are allowed to help themselves to bigger bonuses while nurses and care staff are forced to use food banks. A general election must be held now.” The TUC has predicted child poverty rates among key working households will worsen unless action is taken to improve pay and conditions after ministers announced another year of real pay cuts for millions of key public sector workers. Guardian analysis of Office for National Statistics data shows that public sector earnings have fallen in real terms by 4.3% since the financial crisis, with some occupations falling by as much as 13%. A poll published by the TUC last month revealed that one in seven UK workers skip meals and go without food because of the cost of living. Subscribe to Business Today Get ready for the business day – we’ll point you to all the business news and analysis you need every morning Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertising and content sponsored by external parties. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. The TUC said the extra support announced by the government to help families with energy bills would be offset by cuts in real pay terms and other rising living costs such as rising food prices. The findings come as workers from across Britain prepare to rally and lobby MPs in Westminster Central Hall on November 2 to demand action on the cost of living and call for a snap general election.
