Britons see slowdown in average earnings growth

Official figures show Britons' earnings growth slowed in the end of last year against the backdrop of rising inflation. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said on Wednesday the average weekly pay for the private sector was 462 pounds per week in November last year, lower than the total public sector pay at 477 pounds per week. The annual earnings growth rate for the private sector fell from 2.1 percent to 2.0 percent and the public sector growth rate fell from 2.1 percent to 1.9 percent, the lowest figure since comparable records began in 2001. According to the ONS, there were 988,000 working days lost due to labor disputes in November 2011, the highest figure since July 1989. Most of the working days lost in November 2011 were due to a one-day strike on 30 November called by several trade unions in connection with a dispute over proposed changes to pension schemes for some public sector workers. Britain's consumer price index, a main gauge of inflation, stood at 4.2 percent in December, ONS said on Tuesday. The retail price index was at 4.8 percent in December