Usdaw has launched a survey of working parents, who have responsibility for children under 16, about their experiences of finding affordable and accessible child care. The survey can be completed at: https://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/YJRDEH
 
Paddy Lillis - Usdaw General Secretary says: “Usdaw represents hundreds of thousands of working parents and today we are rightly celebrating the role that mums play in the home, community, workplace and wider society.
 
“Times are tough at the moment and a lot of working families are struggling to make ends meet in the cost of living crisis. There are many issues that affect family incomes, including low-paid insecure work, a Universal Credit system that doesn’t provide the support needed and parental leave remains unpaid. Today we are focussing on spiralling childcare costs.
 
“Parents in the UK pay some of the highest costs for childcare in the world. Our childcare system and childcare workers are overstretched - struggling with rising demand for places and cuts in government support. Though many parents are entitled to some free hours of childcare the system is difficult to understand and can be hard to access. 
 
“That is why we have launched a childcare survey and want to hear from working mothers and fathers about their experiences of securing affordable childcare that fits around work. The responses will be key to shaping the Usdaw’s campaign work on childcare over the coming year.”
 
Notes for editors:
 
Usdaw (Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers) is one of the fastest growing unions in the TUC and 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 www.usdaw.org.uk
 
For Usdaw press releases visit: http://www.usdaw.org.uk/news and you can follow us on Twitter @UsdawUnion