UK strike levels soar as public sector workers face worst pay squeeze

Wage growth continues to lag behind rising inflation as unemployment rate rises slightly

• Analysis: UK labour market is changing as inflation squeezes real pay

The number of working days lost to strikes in the UK has risen to the highest in more than a decade as pay growth in the public sector falls behind the private sector at the sharpest rate on record.

The Office for National Statistics said more than half a million days were lost to industrial disputes in August and September as annual wage growth fails to keep pace with the soaring cost of living.