HC Deb 17 February 1975 vol 886 cc265-7W
Mr. Ralph Howell

asked the Secretary of State for Employment how many minutes of work were required to earn the price of one loaf of white bread, one pound of butter, one pint of milk, one pound of sugar, one dozen eggs, one pound of steak, one pound leg of lamb and one pound of pork in each of the nine EEC countries and in Australia, Canada and the United States of America up to the latest date for which figures are available, taking the average earnings of male manual workers and the retail prices simultaneously prevailing.

Mr. Albert Booth

The latest available information, for October 1973, is given in the following table. No figures are given for Australia, Canada and the United States because information on earnings of male manual workers in those countries is not available from international sources.

Comparisons of this type involve considerable uncertainties. In particular these arise from the variation in the system of remuneration and taxation in the different countries, from the importance of different goods in the national patterns of consumption and from differences in the quality and type of goods. Detailed definitions of the articles are not available and in some countries average prices are only available for the capital cities:

MINUTES OF WORK REQUIRED TO EARN THE PRICES OF VARIOUS ITEMS OF FOOD AT OCTOBER 1973 UNLESS OTHERWISE STATED
United Kingdom Belgium Denmark France Germany (Federated Republic of) Ireland Italy Netherlands
(1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6)
White bread—1 lb. 4 4 6 8 7 5 7 4
Butter—1 lb. … 15 29 17 43 24 20 47 26
Milk—1 pint … 4 3 3 5 3 4 6 4
Sugar—1 lb. … 3 5 3 5 4 4 7 4
Eggs—1 dozen … 26 23 16 34 21 33 36 20
Pork (shoulder without bone)—1 lb. 32 38(7) 25 54 33 29 59(7) 33
Notes:
(1) 200 towns average prices.
(2) Brussels' figures for prices.
(3) Copenhagen figures for prices. Earnings relate to 4th quarter 1973 for the non-agricultural sector.
(4) Paris figures for prices.
(5) November prices and December earnings.
(6) Milan figures for prices.
(7) Loin chops (with bone).
Sources:
(a) prices: ILO Bulletin of Labour Statistics 2nd Quarter 1974.
(b) earnings: United Kingdom—DE Gazette, January 1975.
Ireland—Irish Statistical Bulletin, September 1974.
Denmark—ILO Bulletin of Labour Statistics, 4th Quarter 1974.
Belgium, France, Germany, Italy and Netherlands—Eurostat Social Statistics, January 1974.

Back to