Save Our Shops

Over 74,000 retail workers lost their jobs during 2018 and so far this year, the rate of store closures and jobs losses has increased dramatically.

Usdaw, the shopworkers' union, is calling on the Government to protect the 4.5 million jobs that rely on the success of the retail sector.

The scale of store closures we have seen is devastating, not just for the workforce, but also for our communities and town centres.

The Government needs to show that it takes retail jobs seriously by listening to and acting on workers’ concerns.

Please sign our petition:

We call on the Government to take urgent action by adopting an industrial strategy for retail and implementing the following comprehensive and co-ordinated policies:

• Review taxation, commercial rents and business rates to ensure a level playing field between ‘bricks and mortar’ retailers and online retailers, providing a new framework that supports local communities and the wider economy.

• A minimum wage of £10 per hour for all workers, secure work and investment in skills and training to provide decent pay and job security for retail workers and drive up productivity.

• Give retail workers a say over the future of retail and the introduction of new technology, with a designated inclusive body that ensures the Government recognises the crucial role retail has in the UK economy.

A copy of Usdaw’s industrial strategy for the Retail Sector is available at www.usdaw.org.uk/industrialstrategy