We use cookies to ensure that we can give you the best user experience. By continuing to use our website you are consenting to their use. Find out more.

What language do you need?

Bank of England's call for pay restraint is not the answer to a cost of living crisis says Usdaw

Date: 04 February 2022 Retail trade union Usdaw is appalled that the Governor of the Bank of England has called for pay restraint during a cost of living crisis as a way of tackling growing inflation.
Paddy Lillis – Usdaw General Secretary says: “Many low-paid key workers, who kept the country going through the pandemic, are already struggling to make ends and now find themselves in a cost of living crisis. With food and fuel prices rising, energy bills soaring and real wages falling; our members cannot afford the pay restraint called for by the Bank of England Governor.
 
“Workers should not be asked to pay for a cost of living crisis caused by the Government. We need clear action from Government to tackle rising energy costs, increased taxes, along with the negative impacts on the economy of Brexit and Covid-19, which are all key drivers of inflation.
 
“If the country is to truly ‘build back better’ after the pandemic, there must be lasting and fundamental changes. We need a New Deal for Workers: a minimum wage of at least £10 per hour immediately, an end to insecure employment, respect for shopworkers and action to ensure that retail jobs are no longer underpaid and undervalued.”
 
Usdaw’s New Deal for Workers calls for:
  • A minimum wage of at least £10 per hour for all workers immediately, ending rip-off youth rates and providing a living wage.
  • Minimum contract of 16 hours per week, for everyone who wants it, that reflects normal hours worked and a ban on zero-hour contracts.
  • Better sick pay for all workers, from day one, at average earnings.
  • Protection at work – respect for shopworkers, abuse is not a part of the job.
  • A proper social security system, Universal Credit does not provide a safety net.
  • Job security, with day one employment rights for unfair dismissal and redundancy.
  • Fair treatment and equality for all workers, including equal pay.
  • A voice at work, stop rogue employers refusing to engage with trade unions and end ‘fire and rehire’. 
Notes for editors:
 
Usdaw (Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers) is the UK's fifth biggest trade union with over 360,000 members. Most Usdaw members work in the retail sector, but the union also has many members in transport, distribution, food manufacturing, chemical industry and other trades.
 
For Usdaw press releases visit: http://www.usdaw.org.uk/news and you can follow us on Twitter @UsdawUnion

Share this page

Free prize draw

Enter our free prize draw to win a £100 Love2Shop Gift Voucher courtesy of Usdaw Protect.

The official website of the Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers