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'You can ignore politics, but politics won’t ignore you' - John Hannett tells Usdaw’s ADM

Date: 24 April 2018 Shopworkers’ trade union leader John today opened the debate on politics at the Usdaw’s Annual Delegate Meeting with a call to delegates to get active and involved to help promote the unions political campaigns.
John Hannett – Usdaw General Secretary, speaking to the union’s annual conference in Blackpool’s Winter Gardens reminded delegates that there is a world of difference between opposition and a Labour Government working hard to deliver for our members.
 
“Look at just some of what Labour delivered in government: The first ever national minimum wage; a statutory right for union recognition; protection from unfair dismissal; created Sure Start; increased the amount of paid holiday workers were entitled to, and much more.
 
“Look at what Labour would have delivered if we had won the last general election: Increased the amount of free childcare; free school meals for all primary children; built new homes to tackle the housing crisis; introduced new rights to protect people who rent, alongside many other fully costed gains for our members.
 
“Instead we have a Conservative Government, now propped up with the support of the DUP. A Government with a track record of attacking working people by making it easier to dismiss people and charging for Employment Tribunals. A Government that sought to silence us through the Trade Union Act, an attack on our right to have a political voice.
 
“Trade union members are not people who take being targeted by their opponents lying down. We fought to secure a National Minimum Wage, and campaigned for a National Living Wage and handed the Coalition Government their first defeat when we protected Sunday trading.
 
“Now, especially in light of the new Political Fund opt-in rules that the Trade Union Act, we need to redouble our efforts within the Union to engage all of our members in our campaigning and political work.
 
“Everyone has a story, something that motivated us to take the first step from being an employee, to being a member of Usdaw, to being a rep or an activist. Many of us were motivated by a sense of injustice, or rather, a sense of fairness, an inherent sense in us of right and wrong.
 
“Conference we need Labour in power. So let’s put that effort in, let’s work together to deliver the government our members need. You can ignore politics, but politics won’t ignore you.”
 
Notes for editors:
 
Usdaw (Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers) is the UK's fifth biggest and the fastest growing trade union with over 430,000 members. Membership has increased by more than 28% over the decade. Most Usdaw members work in the retail sector, but the union also has many members in transport, distribution, food manufacturing, chemicals and other trades.
 
For Usdaw press releases visit: http://www.usdaw.org.uk/news and you can follow us on Twitter @UsdawUnion
 

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