Talk of the green shoots of recovery by economic commentators is scant comfort for scared workers, it has been claimed.

General secretary of the Trades Union Congress (TUC) Graham Barber said some may be saying the end of the recession is in sight. However, thousands of people have still lost their jobs since the start of the year.

He said this week 800 jobs went at LDV in Birmingham, while a further 1,660 people were made redundant as branches of Cheltenham & Gloucester closed up and down the country.

"These workers will be desperately worried about the future. They need to see new jobs, not warm words that things may soon start to get better," Mr Barber added.

He suggested that only when order books start growing, pay settlements rise and the rate of job losses starts to slow will he be "convinced" the UK is on the mend

Mr Barber has previously claimed unions are working with employers and HR staff to avoid redundancies – and where compulsory job losses are inevitable, they will help to ensure they are "fair, transparent and free from discrimination".

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