One in seven key worker children in the East living in poverty
New figures from the TUC reveal the extent of the problem.
One in seven, or 84,000, children in key worker households in the East of England are living below the poverty line.
New research by the TUC shows that over a million children of key workers across the UK are living in poverty.
The East of England has the joint lowest rate in the country at 16%, compared to the UK average of 21%.
The Union is warning that Government policies could be worsening the issue.
It says the main reasons for key worker poverty is low pay and insecure hours, factors which often coincide with occupations such as care workers, delivery drivers or supermarket staff.
It says high housing costs are further reducing key worker family budgets for essentials like bills and groceries.
It added that things like capping pay rises of key workers in the public sector is not helping the situation, and in some cases could mean real wage losses.
TUC Regional Secretary Sam Gurney said: "All our key workers in the East of England deserve a decent standard of living for their family. But too often their hard work is not paying off like it should. And they struggle to keep up with the basic costs of family life.
"The prime minister has promised to 'build back fairer'. He should start with our key workers. They put themselves in harm's way to keep the country going through the pandemic. Now, we must be there for them too.
"This isn't just about doing right thing by key workers. If we put more money in the pockets of working families, their spending will help our businesses and high streets recover in the East of England. It's the fuel in the tank that our economy needs."