A SO-CALLED pay rise for prison guards will leave them over £3,000 worse off by 2022, shocking new figures reveal today.

The Tories announced a humiliating U-turn on the public-sector pay cap last month — offering a 2 per cent rise to police officers and a 1.7 per cent rise to prison guards.

But analysis by the TUC shows that, when adjusted for inflation, guards’ earnings will have declined by a whopping £3,527 in five years’ time — and that’s if they carry on getting a 1.7 per cent rise.

Coppers have only been offered a 1 per cent consolidated rise plus a spread-out 1 per cent lump sum. The TUC has calculated that if this is replicated in future years, police will still be £1,911 worse off by 2022. Forces will also have to cut budgets further to pay for the rise.

TUC general secretary Frances O’Grady blasted: “The government claims it recognises the sacrifice public-sector workers have made. But it still won’t give them a fair pay rise.

“The latest offer to police and prison officers is yet another real-terms pay cut.”

The government has so far refused to offer a rise above the 1 per cent cap to any other public-sector workers. But even if heroic emergency service staff got a 2 per cent increase, they too would still be hundreds of pounds out of pocket in five years.

Firefighters, midwives and teachers stand to lose £2,177,  £2,614 and £2,485 respectively.

The cumulative figures compare each pay rise with what workers would get if earnings kept up with the forecast consumer price index of inflation, which currently stands at a five-year high of 3 per cent.

Ms O’Grady added: “Public-sector workers have kept services running in the face of huge cutbacks and job losses. The Chancellor must use next month’s Budget to give them all the decent pay rise they have earned.

“This means announcing new funding. If the government raids already stretched departmental budgets it will be robbing Peter to pay Paul.”

Public-sector pay has been either frozen or capped at a rise of a measly 1 per cent since 2010, which has left workers facing real-terms losses of thousands of pounds with some workers having to resort to foodbanks.

TUC polling shows that one in seven public-sector workers skipped meals this year to make ends meet. And 24 per cent say they couldn’t pay an unexpected bill of £500.

Ms O’Grady and other speakers will address a rally in Parliament Square at 7pm this evening, where hundreds of trade unionists will call on the government to end the cap.