§ Mr. Ralph Howellasked the Secretary of State for Employment what was the basic rate of pay for bakery workers 598W change in the sterling price following the first stage of the Abu Dhabi announced OPEC price rise, which takes effect from 1st January, no GDP deflator is as yet available to enable a real figure to be computed for that date.
before the recent award: what were the average earnings of bakery workers for the latest date for which figures are available; and what increase in net weekly spending power a bakery worker earning average bakery worker earnings will receive as a result of the recent 14 per cent. award, assuming that he has a wife and two children and that all other assumptions and circumstances are the same as the assumptions in the answer to the hon. Member for Norfolk, North in theOfficial Report,30th November, column 298.
§ Mr. Golding:Before the recent revision, the nationally agreed basic rates, including a supplement of £7.85, for a 40-hour week not involving night shift work ranged from £41.52 to £48.44, according to grade. The new earnings survey indicated that average gross earnings were about £76.80 per week in April 1978. This esimate, which is subject to a relatively high sampling error, relates to all full-time manual men aged 21 and over whose pay for the reference week was not affected by absence and who were affected by the Baking Industry National Joint Committee agreement for England and Wales. It includes the effect of night shift working.
Corresponding estimates for later dates either before or after the recent wage settlement are not available. However, each £10 increase in gross weekly earnings results in an increase after tax and national insurance of £6.05, at levels of earnings at which the 33 per cent. and 6½ per cent. rates respectively currently apply.