Soaring inflation to hit pay packets

A sharp rise in Inflation announced today is expected to cast a shadow over wage negotiations as employers plan their pay deals for 2012, experts have said.The Office for National Statistics reported rises in both inflationary measures, with the Consumer Prices Index (CPI) inflation jumping to 5.2 per cent from 4.5 per cent in August, and the Retail Prices Index (RPI) rising to 5.6 per cent from 5.2 per cent.