Usdaw says unionised retail workers are much better paid

Retail union Usdaw says shopworkers who work for unionised retailers get much better pay rises than those who work for non-union companies.

Usdaw was responding to data from the Industrial Relations Service (IRS) that the average pay hikes in retail were 2.5% but the union’s own figures show the union won rises of around 3% for its 340,000 members bucking that trend.

“The fact that we’ve won far bigger than average pay claims for our members proves that being in a union can make a real difference to your pay packet,” says Usdaw General Secretary John Hannett. “The simple fact is that many retail workers work for employers who seem determined to pay their staff the bare minimum, but we work with big and small employers to make sure our members are much better paid than non-union companies.

“We do welcome IRS acknowledging that the next increase in the National Minimum Wage will benefit retail workers as Usdaw worked long and hard for the introduction of a minimum wage which has completely revolutionised the pay rates in retail.

“But Usdaw is never complacent so we are determined to continue to work with retailers to get bigger than average pay rises for our members and it is no accident that the best pay rates in the industry are paid by Britain’s biggest supermarkets who are unionised, working with a progressive union like Usdaw to improve workers pay and conditions.”

The report also claims that retail workers work an average of 38 hours a week which is an increase of 30 minutes per week.

“This report fails to factor in that the majority of shop staff are part-time, working an average of 16 hours, so the idea that retail workers are working longer for less is certainly not true in the majority of cases.”

Notes to Editors:

• Contacts for newsdesks: Usdaw’s Media Officer, Paul Clarke, can be contacted on 0161 249 2469 or e-mail paul.clarke@usdaw.org.uk.
• Usdaw (the Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers) is the UK’s fifth biggest trade union, with over 340,000 members. Most Usdaw members work in the retail sector, but the union also has many members in transport, distribution, food manufacturing, chemicals and other trades.
• More information and news releases are available at our online Newsroom.
• Journalists can subscribe to receive Usdaw news releases via our online e-news service.

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