Network Journal 2008 Issue 2 March/April

Take the credit on offer

The Government’s Budget as usual attracted many a headline, particularly increases in tobacco and alcohol prices and the withdrawal of the ten per cent tax rate – all of these will impact on many of our members.

But behind the headlines there were important changes to Working Tax Credits which are now more generous and go some way to offset other price rises. That's why Usdaw is running a publicity campaign to alert our members, whether they have children or not, to look into applying for these benefits which often go unclaimed.

You can see on Page 6 how these figures add up and there are also new leaflets in the pipeline to help our reps take the message to their members on the shopfloor.

The Government is determined to help the low paid and this was once again in evidence last month when it announced increases to the National Minimum Wage (NMW) set to go up on October 1 this year, (see Page 5) While many of our members are paid above the NMW rates, it still provides an important legal safety net for those workers who are vulnerable to exploitative employers and who otherwise could not rely on annual increases.

More than a retail union

Meanwhile you can see from the reports in this issue of Network that there is an enormous amount of hard work being put in by our reps up and down the country.

From retail, home shopping, food manufacturing and - an area where I think Usdaw does not get enough recognition for its dedicated reps - distribution. This sector is a major player in the UK economy and we are well placed to take advantage of its growth. We have well-established teams in Tesco, Sainsbury's, DHL, Wincanton, Exel, the Co-op and others. I'm confident we can build on our existing strengths and make this sector an even bigger part of Usdaw.

On the way to the forum

Our Annual Delegate Meeting (ADM) is just around the corner and I'm looking forward to it. The Interim Agenda has just been sent out to branch officers and this will form the basis of a full and varied agenda.

ADM always brings the best out of our delegates who are passionate and knowledgeable on issues which directly affect the membership. It's the most important forum in the union's calendar and you will see full reports of the major debates in the May/June Network and a round-up in the summer issue of Arena.

We've already had a busy year - membership continues to climb, training courses are fully booked and get-togethers are helping reps build useful networks. There is still more to come in terms of campaigning activity so get ready for a busy summer.

John Hannett
Usdaw General Secretary

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