Salary Survey

[for fawkes sake]

Sometimes the rhetoric doesn't quite match the reality. Latest figures show that those employed in the public sector are doing relatively well compared to their private sector couterparts.

"Wages have fallen more in real terms in the current economic downturn than ever before, according to a report. On top of the rising cost of living, one third of workers who stayed in the same job saw a wage cut or freeze between 2010 and 2011, said the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS).
"The falls in nominal wages... during this recession are unprecedented," said Claire Crawford from the IFS.
This may explain why unemployment has not been higher, she added.
The think tank also found the pay gap between public and private sector workers had "increased substantially" in the past four years.
"Despite widespread discussion and acknowledgement of public sector pay restraint... average real hourly wages have actually fallen faster in the private sector than in the public sector over the last few years," it said.
In 2009, the average public sector worker earned about £16.60 per hour, which dropped to about £15.80 in 2011, the IFS said. Meanwhile, hourly pay for private-sector workers in 2009 was just over £15.10 and dropped to about £13.60 in 2011.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-22860320