Responding to the speech,
Paddy Lillis – Usdaw General Secretary says: “We welcome the commitment to help workers on zero and short-hours contracts by requiring employers to guarantee a minimum number of hours for their staff. It is clear that Labour fully understands the problems low-paid workers have in getting enough hours to make a weekly wage they can live on.
“While statistics show unemployment is falling, this masks the reality of underemployment for many working people. An increasing number of job roles are offered on zero and short-hours contracts, leaving workers struggling to get the hours they need.
“Only a Labour Government will deliver for our members who are struggling to make ends meet because they are on less than £10 per hour and have insecure jobs where they cannot guarantee their hours from week to week.”
An Usdaw survey of over 10,000 workers shows that:
- 1 in 4 are contracted to 16 hours or less.
- 1 in 3 workers want to work longer hours but were not able to increase their contract with their employer; as a result 28% of members either had or were looking for a second job.
- 80% of workers contracted for 16 hours or less earn under £8.50 per hour.
Usdaw’s ‘Time for Better Pay’ campaign tackles the causes of in-work poverty and seeks to develop an economy where work pays. Using the evidence gathered through our extensive research, the campaign is calling for four key actions:
- £10 per hour minimum wage for all workers over 18.
- Minimum contract of 16 hours per week for all employees who want it
- The right to a contract based on an individual’s normal hours of work
- An end to the misuse of zero hour contracts.
Notes for editors:
Usdaw (Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers) is the UK's fifth biggest and the fastest growing trade union with over 430,000 members. Membership has increased by more than 28% over the decade. Most Usdaw members work in the retail sector, but the union also has many members in transport, distribution, food manufacturing, chemicals and other trades.
For Usdaw press releases visit: http://www.usdaw.org.uk/news and you can follow us on Twitter
@UsdawUnion