Wage growth in both Ceredigion and Gwynedd has outstripped inflation in the last year, new figures show. 

But across the UK, real terms wages have fallen again, while strike action across a range of industries is due to take place every day until the end of the year. 

The Trades Union Congress said working people “have been pushed to breaking point” and urged the Government to engage in meaningful pay talks with unions. 

Office for National Statistics figures show monthly median pay for employees in Gwynedd sat at £1,969 in November – up from £1,890 the month before. In Ceredigion, the median pay for employees was £1,880 in November – up from £1,781 in October. 

Monthly pay in the area has risen by 12 per cent overall in both counties in the last year, as the rising cost of living hits people’s wallets. 

The Consumer Prices Index inflation accounting for owner occupier’s housing costs (CPIH) – which the ONS uses to calculate real-terms pay – sat at 9.6 per cent in the year to October, the highest since records began in 1989. 

But across the UK, real-terms pay between August and October fell by 2.7 per cent compared to the same period the year before – slightly above the record 3 per cent drop seen between April and June. 

Ben Harrison, director at the Work Foundation, said workers face “stark challenges” because of inflationary pressures on their pay packets and are being forced to make difficult decisions, including whether to turn the heating on as freezing temperatures bite. 

The ONS figures also show strike action led to 417,000 days of work being lost in October across the UK – the highest level in a decade. 

The planned strikes in December and January include many public sector employees, such as teachers, ambulance staff, and nurses, while firefighters and fire control staff are also voting on strike action. 

The ONS data revealed a widening gap between private and public sector pay across the country, growing by 6.9 per cent and 2.7 per cent respectively – among the biggest differences seen on record.

Frances O’Grady, general secretary at the Trades Union Congress, said ministers must increase pay packets immediately, starting with a pay rise for public sector workers to match the cost of living.