3.1) The 1950s and '60s
In the early 1960s Usdaw's objectives were to press for an adequate wage, a five-day 40-hour working week and equal pay for men and women.
Campaigns saw membership grow
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The Union won its first individual agreement with the Lewis's group. It provided six days' trading, with staff on a five-day rota. Agreement was also reached on five-day working for the multiple grocery trade in England and Wales in 1963, to be followed by a further victory in Co-op retail shops.
In 1961, Woolworth stores in South Wales and Monmouthshire refused to negotiate with the Union for wage improvements, or grant facilities for collecting Union dues. The women marched out of the stores in protest and the company almost immediately announced the introduction of a revised wage scale in their 1,060 stores. Collecting facilities were also agreed.
The 1950s and '60s saw an increase in consumer demands for all types of goods and services, which led to new areas of potential growth for Usdaw.
Membership grew not only in the distributive trades but also in food processing and milk industries, as well as in parts of the pharmaceutical and related chemical industries.
The Union's most ambitious campaign was targeted at House of Fraser, who refused to negotiate with the Union but nevertheless revised basic wage rates and provided substantial increases.
The end of the decade saw the restructuring of the Union's Divisions and marked the beginning of SATA - a section of Usdaw established to attract supervisory and managerial staff.
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