Payouts to shareholders have increased three times faster than workers’ wages since the 2008 financial crash, according to a new analysis that unions claim shows companies can afford to pay higher salaries.
Shareholder handouts, through both dividends and companies buying back their own shares, have soared £440bn above inflation since 2008. Meanwhile, wages have fallen, growing £510bn less than inflation. The gap has widened since the financial crash. Before the crisis, dividends grew at double the rate of wages.
