Our campaigns deliver for union members

By any measure 2004 has been a very good year for Usdaw. Almost 10,000 new members, the threat of Christmas day trading outlawed, more success for our Freedom From Fear campaign, and a significantly higher profile for our union in the political and industrial arenas. And don’t forget, it was Usdaw which pressed for a youth rate for 16 and 17 year-olds as part of the national minimum wage. The Government listened and acted.

Our successes have not been accidental. They’re down to the hard work of our reps and officials across the UK who continue to stand up for members wherever they work, whatever they do. It’s also down to the quiet but effective lobbying we do with MPs and employers on all the important issues of the day, and it’s this which makes Usdaw the most effective UK union.

We don’t always grab the headlines, but we do grab the results, and no other UK union can claim to be as effective as Usdaw.

We’ve achieved a lot, but clearly there is still much to do. Our campaign to rid the workplace of violence and abuse will go on. Our work to protect and improve the pensions of our members will also continue. Our newest campaign – Supporting Parents and Carers – will also put Usdaw and its members at the heart of the forthcoming industrial and political debate on work/life balance.

We are more than just about improving the pay of our members – although of course this is very important.

We want to make sure British workers don’t work the longest hours in Europe, don’t have the fewest holidays, and aren’t poor in retirement. We want to ensure mothers and fathers have quality time with their children. We also want to enable people with caring responsibilities to be able to perform that essential service and not be penalised at work.

Our agenda is wide and varied. It speaks to workers of all occupational descriptions. That’s why I believe by listening to our members the future of this union is guaranteed. We are a campaigning union which gets results.

Our members are already immersed in the pre-Christmas frenzy and they will hardly get a chance to catch their breath before the sales start. People outside of our industries have little idea of the hard work our members put in. Usdaw is determined to make sure UK workers get the rewards they deserve, and a bigger stronger confident union will deliver these improvements.

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© 2003 (USDAW) Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers
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