Dorset women are losing out in the ongoing pay squeeze, a union has said.

According to the Trades Union Congress (TUC), working women in Dorset will be feeling the pinch even more this Christmas having lost £43 a week in real terms since the crash of 2008.

The TUC South West has analysed figures from the Office of National Statistics, calculating a 13 per cent fall in average pay.

In contrast, men in Dorset have seen a slight increase of £5 a week – a 1 per cent rise in real terms, widening the gender pay gap up to 18.7 per cent, compared to the national average of 17.1 per cent.

The analysis also shows that pay is not keeping pace with the cost of living. TUC says the average worker in the south west has lost out on £14,420 in real earnings since 2008, the worst hit UK region after London.

Nigel Costley, TUC regional secretary of the south west, said: "The government has failed to tackle Britain’s cost of living crisis. Many families will be worse off this Christmas than a decade ago, with working women suffering the biggest hit to their pay.

"Ministers need to wake up and start listening to workers outside the Westminster bubble. We need to see public servants get the pay rise they’ve earned, and unions given the right to bargain in more workplaces. And we need to get the minimum wage to £10 an hour as soon as possible.

"Austerity has failed families and damaged the economy. It is time for a change that will boost earnings and restore services. What people really want for Christmas is a decent pay rise."