Pay for British Auto Workers Shrinks

The U.K.'s auto industry is booming, but its hourly workers are not benefiting from the recovery, according to a Financial Times analysis.

The average annual pay at the country's six largest carmakers has been flat for the past three years, according to the London-based newspaper. It estimates that wages at Honda, Nissan, Toyota and Vauxhall dropped nearly 4% in the same period.

Production over the past three years have surged by nearly 50%. The FT says some carmakers are holding down costs by extending work hours for fulltime staff and by using more temporary workers.

Labor leaders agree that sacrifices made during the economic crisis helped save jobs and revive Britain's auto industry. But now that conditions have improved, suggests Roger Maddison, the Unite union's automotive national officer, "Carmakers do need to give something back."