To think that ending the tax credits and benefits freeze should be a much higher priority than public sector pay rises?

[MargaretTwatyer]

Benefits including in work tax credits are completely frozen for another four years. Not a 1% a year rise, frozen. This means the very poorest in society are being the worst hit by high inflation.

I can't really understand why higher rises for the public sector are currently being given a high profile while nobody seems to be paying much attention to this. A rise in benefits would help the poorest workers in both public and private sectors. It would target those in need most whereas public sector rises would also mean a lot of people who are already very comfortably off would get richer while the very poorest private sector workers would get no extra help at all.

AIBU to wonder why no fuss is being made over this to the same extent? Or is it just because the word 'benefits' means it isn't a vote winner? Or nobody cares about the poor in the private sector because they don't have unions to shout for them?

Yes babs they do. But as a wealthy developed country they also have the right not to be made destitute and humiliated whilst doing so. The job market itself means many of those people could be extremely active in looking for work and through no fault of their own still not find any suitable.

Why do people always want to pit one underprivileged group against another?

Yanbu. It is a real struggle coping on benefits especially as inflation is so high now. Have been claiming for 14 years and in the past few years it has barely gone up. I am not able to consider gaining work to improve my situation because of my disabilities. I do get more than the 6k in ESA because I get PIP as well and also my housing and council tax is covered, but high costs of disability means that I have to spend more. It is the most vulnerable in society who are on benefits, at least those working with 1% pay rises have fewer obstacles to getting higher paid work, which is something most disabled people and carers and lone parents can't do. But I think a lot of them look down on them for not being hard workers like them (even though simply living every day with my condition is incredibly hard work).