Gavin Dadley – Usdaw Regional Secretary for the Midlands says: “We are deeply concerned by the growing challenges facing working people across the East Midlands. A critical challenge in the workplace is the development and introduction of new technology and automation, a particular issue for the major distribution hubs in our region. The resultant job insecurity and retraining need is massive. An estimated nine in ten employees in the UK will need to retrain by 2030.
“We are clear that we need a new deal for workers based on comprehensive skills training, strengthening trade union rights and high quality, secure employment. At the moment it is too easy and too cheap for employers to make workers redundant as a result of the introduction of automation systems; this needs to change. We are looking for the support of conference delegates for this proposition.”
Usdaw is calling on the Labour Party to commit to:
- Significant and long-term investment in skills funding, including coordination of skills and adult education budgets across regions.
- A fundamental overhaul of the Apprenticeship Levy so that it better serves the needs of workers and can respond to local and regional needs.
- A legal right to paid time off for retraining.
- A requirement for employers to consult on new technology, including the use of Equality Impact Assessments which employers must act upon.
- Strengthened collective rights including reducing the thresholds for trade union recognition.
- Strengthening protection against redundancy, including a 90 day consultation for large scale redundancies and three weeks statutory redundancy pay for all workers irrespective of age.
Notes for editors:
Usdaw (Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers) is the UK's fifth biggest trade union with around 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
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