Usdaw’s ‘Time for Better Pay’ campaign tackles the causes of in-work poverty and seeks to develop an economy where work pays. Using the evidence gathered through our survey the campaign is calling for four key actions:
- £10 per hour minimum wage for all workers over 18.
- Minimum contract of 16 hours per week for all employees who want it
- The right to a contract based on an individual’s normal hours of work
- An end to the misuse of zero hour contracts.
Paddy Lillis – Usdaw General Secretary says: “Today’s inflation figure is yet more bad news for low-paid workers who are already suffering a cost of living crisis. Low pay remains one of the biggest issues facing workers in the UK, with the cost of living rising sharply but wages still stagnating for the lowest paid.
“As inflation continues to outstrip average earnings, low paid workers and their families are under pressure to make ends meet. With many forced to claim in-work benefits and take second jobs, it’s clear that the Government’s so-called ‘National Living Wage’ is not a wage that people can live on. So our demand for a £10 an hour minimum is a fair and reasonable response to ever increasing prices.
“Usdaw’s ‘Time for Better Pay’ campaign seeks to reverse the long-term decline in workers’ pay and conditions, leading to a fairer and more equitable society for all.”
A warehouse worker from the London area told Usdaw: “Even when my pay goes up, I’m still worse off. Rent and bills just keep getting more expensive. It’s just impossible to pay for everything on the wage we get. I’ve borrowed from family, but they’re struggling too, and I can’t afford to pay them back.”
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