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Labour will deliver on the Usdaw 'Time for Better Pay' campaign

Date: 10 September 2019 Shopworkers’ trade union leader Paddy Lillis has welcomed a keynote speech to the Trades Union Congress in Brighton by Laura Pidcock MP, future Minister for Employment Rights in the next Labour Government.
In her address to Congress, Laura highlighted the extensive survey of over 10,000 workers that Usdaw published as part of the ‘Time for Better pay’ campaign. She particularly referenced the findings that “half of the members surveyed had missed meals in order to pay essential bills with well over a third doing so on a regular basis”.

She went on to promise that the next Labour Government will “raise the minimum wage for all workers over 16 to £10 an hour by 2020 and eliminate zero hours contracts by requiring employers to give all workers a contract that accurately reflects their fixed and regular hours.”

Paddy Lillis – Usdaw General Secretary says: “We can only get a new Ministry for Employment Rights if we elect a Labour Government, the alternative is yet another Conservative-led government that threatens jobs, incomes and workers’ rights with a ‘no deal’ Brexit.

“Today Laura set out a huge agenda of improvements for working people that will address the problems of in-work poverty and low pay, alongside measures to give workers real opportunities to be represented by an independent trade union.

“The Government disgracefully failed to act on the evidence our ‘Time for Better Pay’ campaign produced, so we are delighted that Labour has listened and taken on board our policy recommendations. Insecure low-paid work is causing many families a great deal of hardship as they struggle to make ends meet and have no guaranteed income from week to week.

“So Labour’s promises of £10 per hour, and end to zero-hour employment and contracts that reflects workers hours are very welcome and will make a real difference to our members and millions of workers.”

Usdaw’s ‘Time for Better Pay’ campaign is calling on the Government to strengthen workers’ rights by introducing:
  • A minimum wage rate of at least £10 per hour for all workers.
  • Minimum contracts of 16 hours per week for everyone who wants one.
  • Contracts based on an individual’s normal hours of work.
  • An end to zero-hours contracts.
For more information: www.usdaw.org.uk/T4BP

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 410,000 members. Membership has increased by more than one-third over the last couple of decades. 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

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