Paddy Lillis – Usdaw General Secretary says: “It is quite remarkable that the latest Prime Minister of a thirteen-year-long Conservative government has the audacity to suggest he can deliver change. Everything that he identified as what is wrong with our country is down to the Tories in government. Today we heard nothing on ending insecure work, which impacts too many families in a cost of living crisis. Nor did we hear any ideas on how to tackle the growing epidemic of retail crime, which far too often results in shopworkers being abused, threatened or assaulted.
“On their record why would anyone believe another one of their promises. The Tories promised to lower taxes, but taxation is now higher than it has been in the last seventy years. They promised to invest in the NHS, but waiting lists are back to 1980s levels. They promised to ‘build back better’, but have failed to deliver much needed improvements to employment rights. They promised to invest in the police, but under-resourcing means that the police failed to respond to 71% of reported serious retail crimes.
“By contrast Labour has already committed to the legal minimum wage becoming a living wage and to deliver a comprehensive new deal for workers that will improve employment rights and tackle insecure work. Labour is pledged to deliver this in the first 100 days of coming into government.
“Labour has also promised that they will continue their strong track record of keeping people safe in their work, building on the campaign to protect shopworkers from violence at work. This includes extending the Scottish protection of workers law to the rest of Britain.
“The failures of thirteen years of the Conservatives in government are clear for everyone to see, they are not offering the change our members need. Only a Labour Government can put Britain back on track. We need a general election now!”
Labour’s New Deal for Workers includes:
- An end to insecure employment, tackling short hours by giving workers contracts that reflect their normal hours and a ban on exploitative zero-hours contracts.
- Minimum wage to become a real living wage, with the full rate to be paid to all workers from 18 years old.
- Introduction of a standalone offence for assaulting a retail worker along with legislation to tackle third-party harassment.
- Single Enforcement Body to ensure targeted and proactive enforcement of workers’
- rights.
- Action to make apprenticeships accessible to more workers, especially people who are currently disadvantaged in the labour market.
- Mental health care people need through 8,500 more mental health professionals, along with a plan to clear the Conservatives’ care backlog and build a system in the long term that can provide care within a month.
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
Protection of Workers (Retail and Age-restricted Goods and Services) (Scotland) Act 2021: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/asp/2021/6
For Usdaw press releases visit: http://www.usdaw.org.uk/news and you can follow us on Twitter
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