Paddy Lillis – Usdaw General Secretary says: “Three million people are employed directly in the retail sector and another 1.5 million jobs rely on the success of shops. In recent years, hundreds of thousands of jobs have been lost in retail, with large and small retailers alike closing their doors.
“The Government is only offering warm words with little action to tackle the crisis on the high street and in our local communities. Every shop that closes impacts negatively on local communities and our town centres.”
Usdaw is calling for action to breathe life back into the high street – benefitting retail workers, shoppers, the local community and retailers. Usdaw is calling for:
- Economic measures to create a more level playing field between the high street and online retailing.
- Fair pay and job security for retail workers – a minimum wage of £10 per hour, tackle zero-hours and short-hours contracts, investment in skills and training.
- Government action to protect jobs in the retail sector. Retail jobs are real jobs – retail is a key part of the economy providing jobs and income for millions of families.
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.
‘Save our shops’ campaign petition to the Government: http://www.usdaw.org.uk/CMSPages/GetFile.aspx?guid=7ef14dfd-9210-4080-b7a4-c23b22be5381
Save our Shops Events: On Saturday 2 March Usdaw activists will be on high street in the following locations:
East of England Ipswich: Giles Square, 8.30am – 4pm
East Midlands Sutton-in-Ashfield: Idle Shopping Centre, 11am - 3pm
Buxton: Outside M&S, 11am - 3pm
London Enfield: Town centre, 11am - 3pm
Croydon: North End, 11am - 3pm
Putney: High Street, 11am - 3pm
North East Stockton: High Street, 10am - 2pm
Sunderland: High Street, 10am - 2pm
North West Cleveleys: Victoria Road West, 11am - 3pm
Northwich: High Street, 11am - 3pm
Scotland Aberdeen: Union Street, 10.30am - 3pm
Edinburgh: Kirkgate Shopping Centre, 10am - 3pm
Glasgow: Shettleston High Street, 10.30am - 3pm
Kirkcaldy: High Street, 10.30am - 3pm
South East Andover: High Street, 11am - 3pm
Canterbury: High Street, 11am - 3pm
Portsmouth: Palmerston Road Precinct, 11am - 3pm
Reading: M&S, Broad Street, 11am - 3pm
Woking: Shopping Centre: 11am - 3pm
South West Bradley Stoke: Willow Brook Centre, 11am - 2pm
Plymouth: Whitleigh Green, 10am - 3pm
Wales Cardiff: Whitchurch High Street: 11am - 3pm
Yorkshire Morley: High Street, 10am - 2pm
Usdaw’s industrial strategy for retail: http://www.usdaw.org.uk/retailstrategy.aspx
For Usdaw press releases visit: http://www.usdaw.org.uk/new... and you can follow us on Twitter @UsdawUnion