Political campaigns will reward members

The last two months have been very busy politically with Respect for Shopworkers’ Week, the Christmas Day (Trading) Bill, the Political Fund Ballot and Protect Christmas Day and New Year’s Day in Scotland - all important issues for our members.

Another crucial issue is pensions. Thankfully people are living longer, but it is also important that our members have the opportunity to enjoy their retirement with good pension provision. Women workers in particular face inadequate pension provision. But of course this issue affects all workers with young members increasingly aware of how important pensions are. We will continue to raise this issue with the Government and employers.

Thanks to all our reps, Area Organisers and clerical staff for ensuring success for Respect Week. Your continued support has proved vital in raising awareness amongst the public, employers and politicians of the abuse shopworkers face. We have also received Government support with Prime Minister Tony Blair giving his support to the Freedom from Fear campaign in a specially produced video.

Members will also be aware of the forthcoming Political Fund Ballot which we are legally obliged to hold every ten years. As you can see above, our campaigning work has delivered a number of successes which have directly benefited our members.

It’s important we continue with these types of campaigns, and that’s why every Usdaw member should vote YES to keep the political fund and to allow us to maintain Usdaw’s position at the forefront of the trade union movement.

In addition to pensions, Christmas Day trading, and retail crime we also want to address other issues which will involve lobbying MPs and the Government. The question of work/life balance is important to our members.

The difficulties faced by working parents and those with other caring responsibilities feature prominently in today’s busy lifestyles. We will be consulting with our members to find out how best we can help you to get the right balance in your life.

So these are challenging and exciting times for us. Our reps continue to recruit new members. Our commitment to lifelong learning continues apace. What’s Usdaw is pleased to announce our Freedom From Fear campaign and our new web site won top honours at the TUC press and public relations awards for the first time. Proof indeed that Usdaw remains determined to offer the best value in trade union membership to workers across the UK.

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