PITIFUL pay rises have continued into 2015, new figures confirmed yesterday, shattering jubilent Tory claims that wages were recovering.

A study of around 100 pay settlements by XpertHR found the average increase in the public sector was just 1.5 per cent, while private sector firms gave a rise of 2 per cent.

Official figures published on Wednesday put the average pay rise at 1.7 per cent when bonuses were excluded — meaning pay rose ahead of inflation for the past few months after a long stagnation.

But the Trades Union Congress (TUC) warned that, even in the unlikely event that inflation remains at rock bottom levels, at this speed wages would take until 2020 to catch up with pre-crisis levels.

TUC general secretary Frances O’Grady said: “This shows that wages have yet to return to serious growth. Most workers are still not getting a fair share from the recovery.

“Pay settlements remain at historic lows and should not be given a positive spin by comparing them to the current very low rate of inflation. This is not a stable route to restoring lost living standards.”

And XpertHR spokeswoman Sheila Attwood said bosses were struggling to recruit and retain staff.

“This is currently limited to specific job roles and has not led to an across-the-board need to raise pay levels,” she said.

“Employees, meanwhile, are most likely to be seeking higher salaries this year, rather than increases in other areas of reward such as benefits or bonus payments.”

conradlandin@peoples-press.com