Usdaw conducted a survey of over 7,500 members, mainly key workers, and found that:
- Over three-quarters have struggled to pay an energy bill over the past twelve months.
- 45% no longer use their household heating.
- Over four-in-ten have cut down on other essentials such as food.
Paddy Lillis – Usdaw General Secretary says: “We welcome any decrease in energy prices, but today’s reduction in the cap offers little comfort to many low-paid households. Even as average bills reduce to £2,047 per year that is still double the prices being paid before the energy crisis and analysts predict that will prices will hold or even go up slightly over the winter.
“It is also important to note that there are more than a million households in the UK, many in rural areas, who have to rely on oil or LPG gas to heat their homes, neither of which are subject to a price cap. Usdaw is calling for a price cap to be introduced to protect those households.,
“The Government’s energy bills support scheme ended in April and there is no indication yet that the Government will intervene with financial support again. Along with eye-watering food inflation, it is little wonder that too many are low-paid workers are being forced to keep the heating off, avoid cooking meals and choose between eating and heating.
“Short-term support with ongoing cost of living pressures is not enough and the Government needs to deliver lasting solutions with a new deal for workers. A new deal that makes work pay with an immediate increase in the minimum wage to at least £12 per hour for all workers, regardless of age, as a step towards £15. Alongside this, we need an end to insecurity and one-sided flexibility, through contracts that reflect normal hours of work.
“The Government is not offering the change our members need. Labour is pledged to deliver a new deal for workers within 100 days of coming into government. They will also reduce the country’s reliance on expensive imported fossil fuels by investing in cheap home-sourced green energy to reduce costs to consumers. The failures of thirteen years of the Conservatives in government are clear for everyone to see. Only a Labour Government can put Britain back on track.”
Notes for editors:
Usdaw (Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers) is the UK's fifth biggest trade union with over 350,000 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
www.usdaw.org.uk
Labour’s New Deal for Workers: www.usdaw.org.uk/LaboursNDW
For Usdaw press releases visit: http://www.usdaw.org.uk/news and you can follow us on Twitter
@UsdawUnion