Usdaw has a delegation of members from across Wales attending the conference in Llandudno, which starts on Friday 12 April and runs through to Sunday.
Nick Ireland - Usdaw Divisional Officer says: “We are deeply concerned by the continued growth of in-work poverty and the Conservative Government’s failure to implement policies to tackle the issue.
“Usdaw has launched our Time for Better Pay campaign, based on survey responses from over 10,500 low paid workers, which showed that there is a desperate need for action to tackle insecure jobs without guaranteed hours or income.
“Such jobs have contributed to a significant increase in poverty amongst working people. In Wales 35% more children with a working parent are living in poverty since 2010, amounting to a shocking 152,000 children.
“We welcome the action the Welsh Government has taken on insecure work, including the Trade Union (Wales) Act 2017, the Code of Practice on Ethical Employment in Supply Chains and the Fair Work Commission. When it comes to tackling insecure work our Welsh Labour Government is leading the way, but much more needs to be done at Westminster.”
Usdaw’s ‘time for better pay’ campaign calls for:
- Young workers to be paid the full adult rate.
- At least £10 per hour minimum wage rate.
- Ban of zero-hours contracts.
- Tackling short-hours contracts through a statutory minimum contract of 16 hours per week, for those who want it.
- A statutory right to an employment contract which reflects an individual’s normal hours of work.
- An immediate halt to the roll-out of Universal Credit and a radical overhaul of social security.
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 420,000 members. Membership has increased by more than one-third over the last couple of decades. 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
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