Usdaw backs Chancellors scheme to get jobless back to work in retail

Usdaw has welcomed the Chancellor’s innovative scheme to get 100,000 jobless people off the dole by offering them work trials with some of Britain’s major retailers.

Gordon Brown announced in his Budget statement a plan to create a network of Local Employment Partnerships working with retailers like Sainsbury’s and Tesco. The retailers will offer unemployed workers a trial lasting two to four weeks and if successful they will be offered jobs in their store.

“Retailers have already done much to regenerate deprived areas by employing local people when they open new stores and this clever initiative by the Chancellor will build on that good work,” says Usdaw General Secretary John Hannett. “There are now 3 million people working in retail which is one of the driving forces behind unprecedented economic stability over the last decade and this scheme will help more jobless people to share in that success.

“Make no mistake, these will be real jobs that can lead to massive opportunities to progress in a retail sector that continues to grow and this scheme will allow jobless trainees the chance to develop skills that will allow them to develop long-term careers in retail.

"Usdaw has strong agreements with Tesco and Sainsbury’s so the trainees can expect to work for companies with excellent terms and conditions plus the support of trained union reps as they come back into the workforce.”

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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